> 3-oxo-L-gulofuranolactone (enol form), C6H8O6, is the stuff that I termed "ascorbic acid". Most people call it "vitamin C". It's good for you. It prevents scurvy. If you want to know about how it works in human metabolism, just read the back of a bottle of vitamins tablets!
>
> 2-hydroxy-1,2,3-propanetricarboxylic acid, C6H8O7, is called "citronsyre", but I have no idea what it's good for. I looked it up on the web. Apparently yahoo!, altavista, and Jeeves don't know what it's good for either -- at least, not in English.
>
> -Space "Eat your vegetables! You need to get your 3-oxo-L-gulofuranolactone (enol form)!" Bar

Ascorbic acid, or Vitamin C (C6H8O6) versus Citric acid (C6H8O7). Yeah, so my question was basically What's the metabolic difference. Ascorbic acid is an antimicrobial and antioxidant, no surprise there. Citric acid is used in more things than you can shake a stick at -- foods, drinks, candy, pharmaceuticals, foam inhibitors, plasticizers, alkyd resins, trace metal chelators, and dye mordants. Sheesh, that practically covers the entire range of manufactured goods. I think I'll nominate Citric acid alongside CORN as the two most important foodstuffs ever produced.

Wolf "but I still don't know how C6H8O6 and C6H8O7 actually *work*" spirit