Succinic acid is a dicarboxylic acid with chemical formula (CH₂)₂(CO₂H)₂. It is a white, odorless solid. In an aqueous solution, it ionizes to anions (that is, conjugates to a conjugate base) called succinate , which plays a role in the citric acid cycle, an energy-yielding process in all living organisms. As a radical group it is called a succinyl group. The name derives from Latin succinum, meaning amber, from which the acid may be obtained.