Fumaric acid

Fumaric acid is an acid present in all living organisms.

The structural formula of fumaric acid is HOOC-CH=CH-COOH. It can be seen that it contains a carbon-carbon double bond. It is a carboxylic diacid because it contains two carboxylic groups.

Its salts or esters are fumarates.

Fumaric acid can be obtained by heating malic acid.

It has a medical use in the treatment of psoriasis or multiple sclerosis, but also in the agro foods industry where it has the name E297 and is used as an acid and a stabiliser.