Vitamin C
Background Information

Vitamins play an essential role in animal metabolic processes. They are groups of complex organic compounds that do not provide energy. However, without vitamins, animals may develop deficiency diseases or other abnormal conditions. Although most animals cannot synthesise vitamins, certain animals can. Apart from vitamin D, the human body cannot make its own vitamins. As humans, we must obtain the vitamins we require through the food that we consume.
2D Structure of Vitamin C
2D Structure of Vitamin C

3D Structure of Vitamin C
3D Structure of Vitamin C
Vitamin C also known as L-Ascorbic acid is one of the most important nutrients and is essential for human beings. Vitamin C’s IUPAC name is 2-oxo-L-theo-hexono-1,4-lactone-2,3-enediol. We need a constant supply of vitamin C in our diet as the human body cannot store vitamin C because it is not a fat-soluble vitamin and where there is excess vitamin C, it is removed from the body through the urine. As well as this, vitamin C is very important in the growth and repair of tissues. It plays a crucial role in the healing of wounds and the repair and maintenance of teeth, cartilage and bones. Ascorbic acid is a “vitamer” of vitamin C that has antioxidant properties and is soluble in water to create a slightly acidic solution. A vitamer is “One of two or more related chemical substances that fulfill the same specific vitamin function”. Antioxidants block some of the damage caused by free radicals, which can contribute to the development of conditions such as cancer and arthritis. Antioxidants can also help to reduce damage that toxins from cigarette smoke may cause to the body.
As said before, lack of vitamin C may cause deficiency diseases such as scurvy. Scurvy is a disease that causes your gums to bleed due to the collagen formation in the body being poor. Scurvy also causes