3,4,5-Trihydroxybenzoesure

BeschreibungGallic acid is a trihydroxybenzoic acid, a type of phenolic acid, a type of organic acid, also known as 3,4,5- trihydroxy benzoic acid, found in gallnuts, sumac, witch hazel, tea leaves, oak bark, and other plants. The chemical formula is C6H2(OH)3COOH. Gallic acid is found both free and as part of hydrolyzable tannins. Salts and esters of gallic acid are termed 'gallates'. Despite its name, it does not contain gallium. Gallic acid is commonly used in the pharmaceutical industry. It is used as a standard for determining the phenol content of various analytes by the Folin - Ciocalteau assay; results are reported in gallic acid equivalents. Gallic acid can also be used as a starting material in the synthesis of the psychedelic alkaloid mescaline. Gallic acid seems to have anti-fungal and antiviral properties. Gallic acid acts as an antioxidant and helps to protect human cells against oxidative damage. Gallic acid was found to show cytotoxicity against cancer cells, without harming healthy cells. Gallic acid is used as a remote astringent in cases of internal haemorrhage. Gallic acid is also used to treat albuminuria and diabetes. Some ointments to treat psoriasis and external haemorrhoids contain gallic acid.

OccurrenceGallic acid is found in a number of land plants. It is also found in the aquatic plant Myriophyllum spicatum and shows an allelopathic effect on the growth of the blue-green alga Microcystis aeruginosa. In food Areca nut Bearberry (Arctostaphylos sp) Bergenia sp Blackberry Hot chocolate Juglans regia (Common walnut) Mango in peels and leaves Phyllanthus emblica (Indian gooseberry) in fruits Raspberry Syzygium aromaticum (clove) Vinegar wine Witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana) White tea.

HistoryGallic acid is an important component of iron gall ink, the standard European writing and drawing ink from the 12 th to 19th century with a history extending to the Roman empire and the Dead Sea Scrolls. Pliny the Elder (23-79 AD) describes his experiments with it and writes that it was used to produce dyes. Galls (also known as oak apples) from oak trees were crushed and mixed with water, producing tannic acid (a macromolecular complex containing gallic acid). It could then be mixed with green vitriol (ferrous sulfate) — obtained by allowing sulfate - saturated water from a spring or mine drainage to evaporate — and gum arabic from acacia trees; this combination of ingredients produced the ink.Gallic acid was one of the substances used by Angelo Mai (1782–1854), among other early investigators of palimpsests, to clear the top layer of text off and reveal hidden manuscripts underneath. Mai was the first to employ it, but did so "with a heavy hand", often rendering manuscripts too damaged for subsequent study by other researchers.Early photographers, including Joseph Bancroft Reade (1801– 1870) and William Fox Talbot (1800 – 1877), used gallic acid for developing latent images in calotypes. It has also been used as a coating agent in zincography.