Titartrate

Titartrate is a term that may appear in some chemical literature as a reference to tartrate compounds, but it is not a standard name in modern nomenclature. In most contexts, the term tartrate or tartarate is used to describe salts or esters of tartaric acid, the naturally occurring dihydroxybutanedioic acid. When a metal cation or an organic group is associated with tartaric acid, the resulting species are tartrates; common examples include potassium bitartrate (cream of tartar) and calcium tartrate.

Chemically, tartrates derive from tartaric acid, which has two stereocenters and can form diastereomeric and enantiomeric salts. The tartrate anion can act as a multidentate ligand, typically coordinating through carboxylate groups and hydroxyl sites. This allows tartrates to form a variety of coordination compounds with metals and to participate in esterification reactions to yield tartrate esters. Tartrate salts can crystallize with well-defined geometries, which has made tartrate complexes useful in crystallography and in asymmetric synthesis as chiral ligands or resolving agents.

Formation and occurrence: tartrates arise when tartaric acid reacts with bases to form salts, or when tartaric acid esterifies with alcohols. In food chemistry, potassium bitartrate forms as a byproduct of wine fermentation and can crystallize in bottles as a harmless sediment.

Applications and safety: tartrates are widely used in the food industry (as cream of tartar) and in chemical synthesis, including enantioselective processes. Tartrate salts are generally of low toxicity, though some metal tartrates may be insoluble and irritant.

See also: tartaric acid, tartrate, potassium bitartrate, metal tartrate complexes.