Tartaric acid was first isolated from potassium tartrate, known to the ancients as tartar, c. 800 by the Persian alchemist Jabir ibn Hayyan, who was also responsible for numerous other basic chemical processes still in use today. The modern process was developed in 1769 by the Swedish chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele. The chirality of tartaric acid was discovered in 1832 by Jean Baptiste Biot, who observed its ability to rotate polarized light. Louis Pasteur continued this research in 1847 by investigating the shapes of ammonium sodium tartrate crystals, which he found to be asymmetric. Pasteur was the first to produce a pure sample of levotartaric acid.

L(+)-Tartaric acid , its cas register number is 87-69-4. It also can be called (+)-Tartaric acid ; L(+)-Dihydroxysuccinic acid ; and Natural tartaric acid . L(+)-Tartaric acid may be most immediately recognizable to wine drinkers as the source of "wine diamonds", the small potassium bitartrate crystals that sometimes form spontaneously on the cork. These "tartrates" are harmless, despite sometimes being mistaken for broken glass, and are prevented in many wines through cold stabilization. The tartrates that remain on the inside of aging barrels were at one time a major industrial source of potassium bitartrate. However, Tartaric acid plays an important role chemically, lowering the pH of fermenting "must" to a level where many undesirable spoilage bacteria cannot live, and acting as a preservative after fermentation. In the mouth, Tartaric acid provides some of the tartness in the wine, although citric and malic acids also play a role.

Physical properties about L(+)-Tartaric acid are: (1)ACD/LogP: -1.081; (2)ACD/LogD (pH 5.5): -5.52; (3)ACD/LogD (pH 7.4): -5.83; (4)ACD/BCF (pH 5.5): 1.00; (5)ACD/BCF (pH 7.4): 1.00; (6)ACD/KOC (pH 5.5): 1.00; (7)ACD/KOC (pH 7.4): 1.00; (8)#H bond acceptors: 6; (9)#H bond donors: 4; (10)#Freely Rotating Bonds: 5; (11)Index of Refraction: 1.586; (12)Molar Refractivity: 26.697 cm³; (13)Molar Volume: 79.579 cm³; (14)Polarizability: 10.583 10-24cm³; (15)Surface Tension: 119.498001098633 dyne/cm; (16)Density: 1.886 g/cm³; (17)Flash Point: 209.43 °C; (18)Enthalpy of Vaporization: 75.131 kJ/mol; (19)Boiling Point: 399.264 °C at 760 mmHg;

Uses of L(+)-Tartaric acid: L(+)-Tartaric acid is widely used as acidulant in beverage and other foods, such as soft drinks, candy, bread and some colloidal sweetmeats. With its optical activity, L(+)-Tartaric acid is used as chemical resolving agent. With its acidity, it is used as catalyst in the resin finishing of polyester fabric or pH value regulator in oryzanol production. With its complexation, L(+)-Tartaric acid is used in electroplating, sulfur removal and acid pickling. It is also used as complexing agent, screening agent or chelating agent in chemical analysis and pharmaceutical inspection, or as resist agent in dyeing. With its reduction, it is used as reductive agent in manufacturing mirror chemically or imaging agent in photography. It can also complex with metal ion and can be used as cleaning agent or polishing agent of metal surface.

When you are using this chemical, please be cautious about it as the following:
1. In case of contact with eyes, rinse immediately with plenty of water and seek medical advice;
2. Wear suitable protective clothing;
3. Wear suitable gloves and eye/face protection;

You can still convert the following datas into molecular structure:
(1)InChI=1S/C4H6O6/c5-1(3(7)8)2(6)4(9)10/h1-2,5-6H,(H,7,8)(H,9,10)/t1-,2-/m1/s1;
(2)InChIKey=FEWJPZIEWOKRBE-JCYAYHJZSA-N;
(3)Smiles[C@@H]([C@H](C(=O)O)O)(C(=O)O)O;

The toxicity data is as follows: