Chemistry of ascorbic acid Haworth and Szent-Györgyi, respectively. Ascorbic acid is a vinylogous carboxylic acid and forms the ascorbate anion when deprotonated on one of the hydroxyls. This property is characteristic of reductones: enediols with a carbonyl group adjacent to the enediol group, namely with the group –C(OH)=C(OH)–C(=O)–. The ascorbate anion is stabilized by electron delocalization that results from resonance between two forms: For this reason, ascorbic acid is much more acidic than would be expected if the compound contained only isolated hydroxyl groups. The ascorbate anion forms salts, such as sodium ascorbate, calcium ascorbate, and potassium ascorbate. Ascorbic acid can also react with
L-gulonolactone oxidase deficiency living in a malarial infested environment". He based his observation on evidence which indicates that G6PD deficient individuals display enhanced sensitivity to ascorbic acid induced hemolysis. Studies of human diseases have benefited from the availability of small laboratory animal models. However, the tissues of animal models with a GULO gene generally have high levels of ascorbic acid and so are often only slightly influenced by exogenous vitamin C. Guinea pigs, for instance, are a popular human model but lost the ability to synthesize L-gulono-gamma-lactone oxidase 20 million years ago. This is a major handicap for studies involving the endogenous