MOLECULE

Gluconic acid

Gluconic acid, also known as dextronic acid, belongs to the class of organic compounds known as sugar acids and derivatives. Sugar acids and derivatives are compounds containing a saccharide unit which bears a carboxylic acid group. Gluconic acid is an extremely weak acid (based on its pKa). Gluconic acid exists in all living species, ranging from bacteria to humans. Gluconic acid is produced in particularly high abundance by certain fungi, such as Aspergillus niger (PMID: 24039465). Gluconic acid occurs naturally in fruit, honey, kombucha tea, and cow’s milk. Gluconic acid and its lactone have also been found in some table wines. The source of gluconic acid is most likely mold metabolism. Industrially, gluconate is used as a concrete admixture (retarder) to slow down the cement hydration reactions and to delay the cement setting time. It is also used in cleaning products where it helps cleaning up mineral deposits. In this regard, gluconic acid has been found to chelate the anions of calcium, iron, aluminium, copper, various rare earths and other heavy metals. The salts of gluconic acid are known as "gluconates". Gluconic acid is also used to maintain the cation-anion balance on electrolyte solutions and is present in certain electrolye solutions, such as "plasmalyte A", which is used for intravenous fluid resuscitation. Gluconate is also used in a variety of pharmaceutical applications. For instance, calcium gluconate is used to treat burns arising from hydrofluoric acid while quinine gluconate is a salt of gluconic acid and quinine, which is used for intramuscular injection in the treatment of malaria. In humans, altered levels of gluconic acid have been found in the metabolic disorder called the transaldolase deficiency.