Mesotartaric

1 definition found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  mesotartaric \mes`o*tar*tar"ic\, a. [Meso- + tartaric.] (Chem.)
     Pertaining to, or designating, an acid called also {inactive
     tartaric acid}. It is an optically inactive stereoisomer of
     tartaric acid due to internal compensation of the rotatory
     activity of the two asymmetric centers; it has a plane of
     symmetry in the molecule.


     [1913 Webster +PJC]