Naming the Cycle: On the Etymology of the Citric Acid Cycle Intermediates

In biochemistry, the trivial names of chemical compounds constitute a significant part of scientific language. Understanding the etymology of the names may be important for the association of these names with actual compounds and thus be a valuable teaching tool. The citric acid cycle (Krebs cycle) is a central metabolic pathway in most living cells. Intermediates of the cycle play important roles in cellular metabolism, and their names reappear in the names of many derived compounds in other metabolic pathways. In this article, information on the origins of names of the citric acid cycle intermediates is provided.