Question:

The IUPAC name of tartaric acid is:

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Tartaric acid is known for its two hydroxyl groups and its role in the formation of salts and esters used in various industrial applications, including in the production of wine.
Updated On: Jul 14, 2026
  • 1,3-dihydroxybutane-1,4-dioic acid
  • 2,3-dihydroxybutane-1,4-dioic acid
  • 2,3-dihydroxy-4-butanoic acid
  • 2,2-dihydroxy-4-butanoic acid
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The Correct Option is B

Approach Solution - 1

The IUPAC name of tartaric acid is 2,3-dihydroxybutane-1,4-dioic acid. Tartaric acid is a naturally occurring organic acid commonly found in grapes and other fruits, and it contains two hydroxyl groups and a carboxyl group on a four-carbon backbone.

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Approach Solution -2

Tartaric acid has the structure HOOC-CHOH-CHOH-COOH, a four-carbon chain with a carboxylic acid at each end and a hydroxyl group on each of the two middle carbons. Naming this systematically, carbon by carbon, checks which option is correct.

  1. 1,3-dihydroxybutane-1,4-dioic acid: This name places hydroxyl groups on carbons 1 and 3. Carbon 1 in a "dioic acid" chain is already the carboxylic acid carbon itself, so it cannot also carry a separate hydroxyl substituent, making this locant assignment structurally impossible for tartaric acid.
  2. 2,3-dihydroxybutane-1,4-dioic acid: Numbering the four-carbon chain so that the two carboxylic acid carbons are C1 and C4 (as the "-dioic acid" suffix requires), the two hydroxyl-bearing carbons in the middle of the chain become C2 and C3. This matches tartaric acid's actual structure exactly, with a hydroxyl group on each of the two central carbons.
  3. 2,3-dihydroxy-4-butanoic acid: The suffix "butanoic acid" describes a monocarboxylic acid with only one -COOH group, but tartaric acid has two carboxylic acid groups, so this name does not represent a dicarboxylic acid at all and is structurally wrong for tartaric acid.
  4. 2,2-dihydroxy-4-butanoic acid: Placing both hydroxyl groups on the same carbon (C2) does not match tartaric acid's structure, where the two hydroxyls sit on two separate, adjacent carbons, and this name also wrongly uses the monoacid "butanoic acid" suffix.

Numbering the chain from either carboxylic acid end places the two hydroxyl groups on carbons 2 and 3, with "butane-1,4-dioic acid" correctly naming the two-carboxylic-acid backbone.

Therefore, the correct answer is 2,3-dihydroxybutane-1,4-dioic acid.

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