Ascorbic acid
Ascorbic acid is an
organic acid and
antioxidant also known as
vitamin C. In
1937 the
Nobel Prize for chemistry was awarded to
Walter Haworth for his work in determining the structure of ascorbic acid, (It was shared with Paul Karrer, who received his award for work on vitamins), and the prize for Medicine that year went to
Albert Szent-Györgyi for his studies of the biological functions of ascorbic acid.
See the
Vitamin C article for a discussion of social and historical aspects.
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Chemistry
\nFormula: C6H8O6
\nSMILES string: C1(O)=C(O)C(=O)OC1(C(O)CO)
\nMelting point: 190-192 °C.
The Molecular weight of L-ascorbic acid is 176.12.
Uses
Ascorbic acid is easily oxidized and so is used as a reductant in photographic developer solutions (among others) and as a preservative.
The L enantiomer of ascorbic acid is also known as vitamin C (the name "ascorbic" comes from its property of preventing and curing scurvy). Primates (including humans) and a few other species, such as the guinea pig, cannot synthesise vitamin C from glucose.
Ascorbic acid and its sodium, potassium, and calcium salts are commonly used as antioxidant food additives. These compounds are water soluble and thus cannot protect fats from oxidation: for this purpose, the fat-soluble esters of ascorbic acid with long-chain fatty acids (ascorbyl palmitate or ascorbyl stearate) can be used as food antioxidants.\nThe relevant European food additive E numbers are:\nE300 ascorbic acid,\nE301 sodium ascorbate , E302 calcium ascorbate,\nE303 potassium ascorbate, \nE304 fatty acid esters of ascorbic acid (i) ascorbyl palmitate (ii) ascorbyl stearate.
Related article
\nFor discussion of the historic and social role of the ascorbic acid molecule in human history see vitamin C.
