An intermediate in the tricarboxylic acid cycle; several of its salts have been variously used in medicine.
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suc·cin·ic acid (.)sək-.sin-ik- n a crystalline dicarboxylic acid C4H6O4 that is found widely in nature, that is formed in the Krebs cycle and in various fermentation processes, and that is used chiefly as an intermediate in synthesis (as of pharmaceuticals and synthetic resins)
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suc·cin·ic ac·id (sək-sinґik) 1,4-butanedioic acid, an intermediate in the tricarboxylic acid cycle (q.v.).Medical dictionary. 2011.