Chemistry of ascorbic acid Chemistry of ascorbic acid Ascorbic acid is an organic compound with formula , originally called hexuronic acid. It is a white solid, but impure samples can appear yellowish. It dissolves well in water to give mildly acidic solutions. It is a mild reducing agent. Ascorbic acid exists as two enantiomers (mirror-image isomers), commonly denoted "" (for "levo") and "" (for "dextro"). The isomer is the one most often ecountered: it occurs naturally in many foods, and is one form ("vitamer") of vitamin C, an essential nutrient for humans and many animals. Deficiency of vitamin C causes scurvy, formerly a major
Vitamin B12 "Corynebacterium", "Flavobacterium", "Lactobacillus", "Micromonospora", "Mycobacterium", "Nocardia", "Protaminobacter", "Proteus", "Rhizobium", "Salmonella", "Serratia", "Streptococcus" and "Xanthomonas" . Six Nobel Prizes have been awarded for direct and indirect studies of vitamin B. Vitamin B12 Vitamin B, also called cobalamin, is a water-soluble vitamin that is involved in the metabolism of every cell of the human body: it is a cofactor in DNA synthesis, and in both fatty acid and amino acid metabolism. It is particularly important in the normal functioning of the nervous system via its role in the synthesis of myelin, and in the maturation of developing red blood cells in the