Malonic Acid Movies

Malonic Acid Video No. 1 - A highly colored spectrum of crystallites are slowly formed during time-lapse cinemicrography of malonic acid under polarized illumination at a magnification of 200x with a playing time of 17.4 seconds. Choose a playback format that matches your connection speed: 28.8k (modem), 56.6k (modem), or T1/Cable/DSL, or download this video clip in MPEG format (7.33 MB).

Malonic Acid Video No. 2 - Dendritic needles of crystalline malonic acid shoot across the screen in this time-lapse cinemicrographic digital video. Recorded with polarized illumination at a magnification of 200x with a playing time of 6.1 seconds. Choose a playback format that matches your connection speed: 28.8k (modem), 56.6k (modem), or T1/Cable/DSL, or download this video clip in MPEG format (2.58 MB).

In its purified form, malonic acid is a white, crystalline substance, water-soluble and easily decomposed by heat. It is used to synthesize barbiturates, vitamins B1 and B6, and numerous other organic compounds. The free acid is rather unstable and has few uses other than being a biochemical diagnostic probe for intermediary metabolism. Although malonic acid is a normal component of human urine, in small quantities, a genetic disorder called methyl malonic aciduria can cause high levels of methyl malonic acid in the blood serum and urine.