Vitamin C or L-ascorbic acid, or simply ascorbate (the anion of ascorbic acid), is an essential nutrient for humans and certain other animal species. Vitamin C describes several vitamers that have vitamin C activity in animals, including ascorbic acid and its salts, and some oxidized forms of the molecule like dehydroascorbic acid. Ascorbate and ascorbic acid are both naturally present in the body when either of these is introduced into cells, since the forms interconvert according to pH.
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2-oxo-L-threo-hexono-1,4-lactone-2,3-enediol
or (R)-3,4-dihydroxy-5-((S)- 1,2-dihydroxyethyl)furan-2(5H)-one |
AHFS/Drugs.com | Multum Consumer Information |
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MedlinePlus | a682583 |
Pregnancy category | A (to RDA), C (above RDA) |
Legal status | AU: Unscheduled US: OTC general public availability |
Routes of administration |
oral |
Bioavailability | rapid & complete |
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Protein binding | negligible |
Biological half-life | varies according to plasma concentration |
Excretion | renal |
CAS Number | 50-81-7 |
ATC code | A11G |
PubChem | CID: 5785 |
IUPHAR/BPS | 4781 |
DrugBank | DB00126 |
ChemSpider | 10189562 |
UNII | PQ6CK8PD0R |
KEGG | D00018 |
ChEBI | CHEBI:29073 |
ChEMBL | CHEMBL196 |
NIAID ChemDB | 002072 |
Synonyms | L-ascorbic acid |
Formula | C6H8O6 |
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Molecular mass | 176.12 g/mole |
SMILES[show]
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InChI[show]
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Density | 1.694 g/cm3 |
Melting point | 190 °C (374 °F) |
Boiling point | 553 °C (1,027 °F) |