Excerpt:
The acids from clover honey were isolated by ion-exchange adsorption and separated by silicic acid partition chromatography and ion-exchange chromatography. The different acids were identified by paper chromatography with six solvent systems,infrared spectra of the sodium salts, and derivatives. Acids definitely identified were butyric, acetic, formic, lactic, succinic, pyroglutamic, malic, citric, and gluconic.
Oxalic acid was tentatively identified. Gluconic acid, not citric acid as previously proposed, was the principal acid of honey.
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