what+is+citric+acid+?

At room temperature, citric acid is a white crystalline powder. It can exist either in an [|anhydrous] (water-free) form or as a [|monohydrate]. The anhydrous form crystallizes from hot water, where as the monohydrate forms when citric acid is crystallized from cold water. The monohydrate can be converted to the anhydrous form by heating above 78 °C. Citric acid also dissolves in absolute (anhydrous) ethanol (76 parts of citric acid per 100 parts of ethanol) at 15 degrees Celcius.
 * Citric acid** is a weak organic acid. It is a natural preservative and is also used to add an acidic, or sour, taste to foods and soft drinks. In biochemistry, it is important as an intermediate in the citric acid cycle and therefore occurs in the metabolism of virtually all living things. It can also be used as an environmentally benign cleaning agent.