fumaric acid


noun
  1. a colorless, odorless, crystalline, slightly water-soluble solid, C4H4O4, isomeric with maleic acid, essential to cellular respiration in most eukaryotic organisms: used in the making of synthetic resins and as a replacement for tartaric acid in beverages and baking powders.

Origin of fumaric acid

1
First recorded in 1875–80

Words Nearby fumaric acid

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British Dictionary definitions for fumaric acid

fumaric acid

/ (fjuːˈmærɪk) /


noun
  1. a colourless crystalline acid with a fruity taste, found in some plants and manufactured from benzene; trans -butenedioic acid: used esp in synthetic resins. Formula: HCOOCH:CHCOOH

Origin of fumaric acid

1
C19: from New Latin Fumāria name of genus, from Late Latin: fumitory, from Latin fūmus smoke

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for fumaric acid

fumaric acid

[ fyōō-mărĭk ]


  1. A colorless crystalline compound found in various plants and produced synthetically. It is used mainly in resins, paints, varnishes, and inks. Fumaric acid is a geometric isomer of maleic acid, having two carboxyl (COOH) groups attached on opposite sides of an ethylene chain. Chemical formula: C4H4O2.

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