racemic acid

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noun Chemistry.

an isomeric modification of tartaric acid that is sometimes found in the juice of grapes in conjunction with the common dextrorotatory form and is optically inactive but can be separated into the two usual isomeric forms, dextrorotatory and levorotatory.

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Origin of racemic acid

First recorded in 1830–40

Words nearby racemic acid

racehorse, racemate, raceme, race meeting, racemic, racemic acid, racemiform, racemism, racemization, racemize, racemose

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use racemic acid in a sentence

Racemic acid is rather less soluble than tartaric, and separates first from a solution containing the two acids.
Cooley's Practical Receipts, Volume II|Arnold Cooley
A solution of racemic acid precipitates a neutral salt of calcium, which is not the case with tartaric acid.
Cooley's Practical Receipts, Volume II|Arnold Cooley
Examination of liquors from which racemic acid has been deposited has always shown them to contain much inactive tartaric acid.
Cooley's Practical Receipts, Volume II|Arnold Cooley
This theory does not exclude the probability that certain vines under particular conditions produce racemic acid.
Cooley's Practical Receipts, Volume II|Arnold Cooley

As, for instance, strychnine racemate, a compound of racemic acid with the optically active strychnine.
The Phase Rule and Its Applications|Alexander Findlay

British Dictionary definitions for racemic acid

racemic acid

noun

the optically inactive form of tartaric acid that is sometimes found in grape juice

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 racemic acid

racemic acid

An optically inactive form of tartaric acid that can be separated into dextrorotatory and levorotatory components and is sometimes found in grape juice. Chemical formula: C4H6O6.