Ascorbic acid also known as vitamin C is an important water-soluble vitamin essential for human life. Vitamin C or L-ascorbic acid is chemically defined as 2-oxo-L-theo-hexono-4-lactone-2,3-enediol.
It is a near planar five member ring with two chiral centers that resolves onto the four stereoisomers.
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| Ascorbic acid |
It has a molecular mass of 176.12 g/mol, a density of 1.65 g/cm3, a very soluble in water (more than 30 g per 1 ml), and variably soluble in most-short-chain alcohols and glycols (1-5 g per 100 ml).
Ascorbic acid can be reversely oxidized to semidehydro-L-ascorbic acid and further to dehyroascorbic acid.
Ascorbic acid is photosensitive and unstable in aqueous solution at room temperature. During storage of foods, vitamin C is inactivated by oxygen.
Ascorbic acid molecule