Pyruvate

Pyruvic acid

Names
Preferred IUPAC name 2-Oxopropanoic acid
Other names Pyruvic acid α-Ketopropionic acid Acetylformic acid Pyroracemic acid
Identifiers
CAS Number	127-17-3 Y
3D model (Jmol)	Interactive image
Abbreviations	Pyr
ChEBI	CHEBI:32816 Y
ChEMBL	ChEMBL1162144 Y
ChemSpider	1031 Y
DrugBank	DB00119 Y
ECHA InfoCard	100.004.387
IUPHAR/BPS	4809
KEGG	C00022 N
PubChem	1060
UNII	8558G7RUTR Y
InChI InChI=1S/C3H4O3/c1-2(4)3(5)6/h1H3,(H,5,6) Y Key: LCTONWCANYUPML-UHFFFAOYSA-N Y
SMILES O=C(C(=O)O)C
Properties
Chemical formula	C3H4O3
Molar mass	88.06 g/mol
Density	1.250 g/cm3
Melting point	11.8 °C (53.2 °F; 284.9 K)
Boiling point	165 °C (329 °F; 438 K)
Acidity (pKa)	2.50
Related compounds
Other anions	pyruvate ion ion of pyruvic acid
Related keto-acids, carboxylic acids	acetic acid glyoxylic acid oxalic acid propionic acid acetoacetic acid
Related compounds	propionaldehyde glyceraldehyde methylglyoxal sodium pyruvate
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
N  (what is YN ?)
Infobox references

Pyruvic acid (CH₃COCOOH) is the simplest of the alpha-keto acids, with a carboxylic acid and a ketone functional group. Pyruvate, the conjugate base, CH₃COCOO⁻, is a key intermediate in several metabolic pathways.

Pyruvic acid can be made from glucose through glycolysis, converted back to carbohydrates (such as glucose) via gluconeogenesis, or to fatty acids through a reaction with acetyl-CoA. It can also be used to construct the amino acid alanine and can be converted into ethanol or lactic acid via fermentation.

Pyruvic acid supplies energy to cells through the citric acid cycle (also known as the Krebs cycle) when oxygen is present (aerobic respiration), and alternatively ferments to produce lactate when oxygen is lacking (fermentation).

In 1834, Théophile-Jules Pelouze distilled both tartaric acid (L-tartaric acid) and racemic acid (a mix of D- and L-tartaric acid) and isolated pyrotartaric acid (methyl succinic acid) and another acid that Jöns Jacob Berzelius characterized the following year and named pyruvic acid. Pyruvic acid is a colorless liquid with a smell similar to that of acetic acid and is miscible with water. In the laboratory, pyruvic acid may be prepared by heating a mixture of tartaric acid and potassium hydrogen sulfate, by the oxidation of propylene glycol by a strong oxidizer (e.g., potassium permanganate or bleach), or by the hydrolysis of acetyl cyanide, formed by reaction of acetyl chloride with potassium cyanide: