Today (19th March) marks the birthday of Sir Norman Haworth – who also died on the 19th March. Haworth won a Nobel Prize in 1937 for his work on carbohydrates and vitamin C. He also developed a way of drawing 3D sugar structures, known as Haworth projections.
With it being Pancake Day tomorrow, it seemed like a good time to look at the chemistry of the humble lemon, and the compounds that give it its sour taste. Of course, citric acid is already well known – it even has its own E number (E330). However, a couple of other acid compounds are also contributors towards the chemical make up of a lemon.