gluconic acid

[ gloo-kon-ik ]

noun

1. a colorless, water-soluble acid, C 6 H 12 O 7 , obtained by the oxidation of glucose, used commercially in a 50-percent solution for cleaning metals.

Word History and Origins

Origin of gluconic acid¹

1870–75; translation of German Glukonsäure; gluc-, -onic

Example Sentences

It’s also humectant, which means it attracts and retains moisture and can help keep your skin dewy—something a lot of harsh exfoliating scrubs cannot claim to do—and it contains gluconic acid, a mild acid that is considered benign by public health experts.

From Time

The bottle was over-pressurized by mixing muriatic and gluconic acid — commonly used in cleaning and for industrial uses — with metal foil, according to charging documents.

From Washington Post

One, fed in a certain way, yields oxalic acid, basic chemical of the blueprint industry; on a different diet it produces the gluconic acid used in medicines.

From Time Magazine Archive

They did not succeed in their aim, but a way was found of procuring gluconic acid.

From Time Magazine Archive

For example, gluconic acid, under these conditions, becomes mannonic acid, which can be reduced to mannose.

From Project Gutenberg