Tuataric acid is an

organic compound In chemistry, organic compounds are generally any chemical compounds that contain carbon-hydrogen or carbon-carbon bonds. Due to carbon's ability to catenate (form chains with other carbon atoms), millions of organic compounds are known. The ...

and an unsaturated

carboxylic acid In organic chemistry, a carboxylic acid is an organic acid that contains a carboxyl group () attached to an R-group. The general formula of a carboxylic acid is or , with R referring to the alkyl, alkenyl, aryl, or other group. Carboxylic ...

. This colourless compound was isolated in 2009 from the cloacal glands of the

tuatara Tuatara (''Sphenodon punctatus'') are reptiles endemic to New Zealand. Despite their close resemblance to lizards, they are part of a distinct lineage, the order Rhynchocephalia. The name ''tuatara'' is derived from the Māori language and m ...

, a lizard-like reptile native to New Zealand. Its formal name is (4''E'',6''Z'')-octa-4,6-dienoic acid, and it consists of an unusual pair of conjugated alkene units with the E and Z configurations.{{cite journal, title=Reptile Bouquet, author=Sarah Everts, publisher=

American Chemical Society The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 155,000 members at all d ...

, journal= Chemical & Engineering News, date=February 4, 2009, issn=0009-2347 Tuataric acid can be prepared from pent-4-yn-1-ol through a sequence that begins with the extension of the alkyne terminus by hydroboration and ends with the oxidation of the

alcohol Alcohol most commonly refers to: * Alcohol (chemistry), an organic compound in which a hydroxyl group is bound to a carbon atom * Alcohol (drug), an intoxicant found in alcoholic drinks Alcohol may also refer to: Chemicals * Ethanol, one of sev ...

References

Carboxylic acids Alkenoic acids