Pyruvic Acid - Chemistry

Chemistry

In 1834, Théophile-Jules Pelouze distilled both tartaric acid (-tartaric acid) and racemic acid (a mix of and -tartaric acid) and isolated pyrotartaric acid (methyl succinic acid) and another acid that Jöns Jacob Berzelius characterized the following year and named pyruvic acid. Pyruvic acid is a colorless liquid with a smell similar to that of acetic acid and is miscible with water. In the laboratory, pyruvic acid may be prepared by heating a mixture of tartaric acid and potassium hydrogen sulfate, by the oxidation of propylene glycol by a strong oxidizer (e.g., potassium permanganate or bleach), or by the hydrolysis of acetyl cyanide, formed by reaction of acetyl chloride with potassium cyanide:

CH₃COCl + KCN → CH₃COCN + KCl

CH₃COCN → CH₃COCOOH