Potassium bitartrate

Potassium bitartrate

Names
Preferred IUPAC name Potassium (2R,3R)-2,3,4-trihydroxy-4-oxobutanoate
Other names Potassium hydrogen tartrate Cream of tartar Potassium acid tartrate Monopotassium tartrate Beeswing
Identifiers
CAS Number	868-14-4 Y
3D model (JSmol)	Interactive image
ChemSpider	12783 N
ECHA InfoCard	100.011.609
E number	E336 (antioxidants, ...)
PubChem CID	23666342
UNII	NPT6P8P3UU Y
InChI InChI=1S/C4H6O6.K/c5-1(3(7)8)2(6)4(9)10;/h1-2,5-6H,(H,7,8)(H,9,10);/q;+1/p-1/t1-,2-;/m1./s1 N Key: KYKNRZGSIGMXFH-ZVGUSBNCSA-M N InChI=1/C4H6O6.K/c5-1(3(7)8)2(6)4(9)10;/h1-2,5-6H,(H,7,8)(H,9,10);/q;+1/p-1/t1-,2-;/m1./s1 Key: KYKNRZGSIGMXFH-APGVQJISBP
SMILES [C@@H]([C@H](C(=O)[O-])O)(C(=O)O)O.[K+]
Properties
Chemical formula	KC4H5O6
Molar mass	188.177
Appearance	White crystalline powder
Density	1.05 g/cm3 (solid)
Solubility in water	0.57 g/100 ml (20 °C) 6.1 g/100 ml (100 °C)
Solubility	Soluble in acid, alkali Insoluble in acetic acid, alcohol
Refractive index (nD)	1.511
Pharmacology
ATC code	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). N verify (what is YN ?) Infobox references

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.

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.