Neuraminic acid

Neuraminic acid was discovered and named by Ernst Klenk in 1941. He chose the trivial name in connection with the natural occurrence of neuraminic acid in the brain, where it is not present in free form, but as part of a ganglioside. Isolation from the brain was particularly challenging for this reason and also because of the sensitivity of neuraminic acid to acids, for example.

Neuraminic acid is an amino sugar acid of the type of a usonic acid or ketoaldonic acid. It consists of a linear chain nine carbon atoms long (hence "nonulosonic acid"), whereby the configuration of carbon atoms 4 to 7 corresponds to that of galactose. Chemically, however, neuraminic acid can be seen as a formal condensation product of pyruvate with mannosamine. The derivatives of neuraminic acid are collectively referred to as sialic acids, whereby this group term also covers further modified substances, such as derivatives in which the usual hydroxyl group is present instead of the amino group.

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