Sac′charāte, a salt of a saccharic acid.—adjs.

Moderately strong nitric acid changes it into mucic, saccharic, tartaric and oxalic acids.

When boiled with nitric acid, it is oxidized to mucic, saccharic, and oxalic acids.

The d-galactose, obtained by the hydrolysis of any of these compounds, is a faintly sweet substance which resembles glucose in many of its properties; having one characteristic difference, however, in that it forms mucic acid instead of saccharic acid when oxidized by concentrated nitric acid.

An investigation of the latter gave the following results: By oxidation with nitric acid no saccharic acid was obtained; showing the absence of dextrose.