hippuric

Hippuric is an adjective used in chemistry and biochemistry to describe substances related to hippuric acid or hippurates, including hippurate salts. The term appears in discussions of metabolism, analytical chemistry, and pharmacology to indicate a connection with this specific acid and its derivatives.

Hippuric acid, or N-benzoylglycine, is an amide formed by the conjugation of benzoic acid with glycine. Its chemical formula is C9H9NO3. In mammals, benzoic acid is detoxified by glycine conjugation in the liver, producing hippuric acid that is subsequently excreted in the urine. The compound can exist as a free acid or as salts, known collectively as hippurates.

In physiological and clinical contexts, hippuric acid is a common urinary metabolite of certain aromatic compounds. It can arise from the metabolism of benzoates and from the body’s processing of toluene, as toluene is ultimately converted to benzoic acid and then conjugated with glycine. Dietary intake of benzoate preservatives can also contribute to urinary hippurate levels. Because several factors influence its excretion, hippuric acid is not a specific marker for a single exposure.

Hippurate salts, such as potassium hippurate and sodium hippurate, are widely recognized in biochemical and clinical settings. The name hippuric derives from the historical association with horse urine, where hippuric acid was first isolated, reflecting the compound’s etymology rather than a current functional role.

Overall, hippuric describes materials tied to hippuric acid or its salts, with relevance in metabolism, toxicology, and analytical chemistry.