Potassium bitartrate
Chemical salt used in cooking as cream of tartar / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Potassium bitartrate, also known as potassium hydrogen tartrate, with formula KC4H5O6, is a chemical compound with a number of uses. It is the potassium acid salt of tartaric acid (a carboxylic acid). In cooking, it is known as cream of tartar.
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Preferred IUPAC name
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Other names
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Identifiers | |||
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3D model (JSmol) |
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ChemSpider |
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ECHA InfoCard | 100.011.609 | ||
E number | E336 (antioxidants, ...) | ||
PubChem CID |
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Properties | |||
KC4H5O6 | |||
Molar mass | 188.177 | ||
Appearance | White crystalline powder | ||
Density | 1.05 g/cm3 (solid) | ||
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Solubility | Soluble in acid, alkali Insoluble in acetic acid, alcohol | ||
Refractive index (nD) |
1.511 | ||
Pharmacology | |||
A12BA03 (WHO) | |||
Hazards | |||
Lethal dose or concentration (LD, LC): | |||
LD50 (median dose) |
22 g/kg (oral, rat) | ||
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
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It is used as a component of baking powders and baking mixes, as mordant in textile dyeing, as reducer of chromium trioxide in mordants for wool, as a metal processing agent that prevents oxidation, as an intermediate for other potassium tartrates, as a cleaning agent when mixed with a weak acid such as vinegar, and as reference standard pH buffer. Medical uses include as a medical cathartic, as a diuretic, and as a historic veterinary laxative and diuretic.[1]
It is produced as a byproduct of winemaking by purifying the precipitate that is deposited in wine barrels. It arises from the tartaric acid and potassium naturally occurring in grapes.