Definition for Pyruvic acid
From Biology Forums Dictionary
Pyruvic acid (CH3COCOOH) is an organic acid, a ketone, as well the simplest of the alpha-keto acids. The carboxylate (COOH) ion (anion) of pyruvic acid, CH3COCOO-, is known as pyruvate, and is a key intersection in several metabolic pathways. It can be made from glucose through glycolysis, supplies energy to living cells in the citric acid cycle (also known as the Krebs cycle), and can also be converted to carbohydrates via gluconeogenesis, to fatty acids or energy through acetyl-CoA, to the amino acid alanine and to ethanol.
