Succinic acid, also known as succinic acid, is a dicarboxylic acid with colorless crystals and sour taste. It is soluble in water, ethanol and ether, but insoluble in chloroform and dichloromethane.

An important use of succinic acid is to prepare five-membered heterocyclic compounds. For example, succinic acid loses water rapidly when heated to form succinic anhydride, which is a furan ring compound. Succinic anhydride is an important raw material for the manufacture of drugs, dyes and alkyd resins.

Succinic acid has antispasmodic, expectorant and diuretic effects in medicine. Diethyl succinate is an important intermediate in organic synthesis. Dibutyl succinate and dioctyl succinate are plasticizers for plastics. Copolymerization of diallyl succinate and 1,3-butadiene can produce artificial rubber.