Vitamin E

By: Milly Pnotporn Jantarakolica 1109

STRUCTURE

THECHOSEN STRUCTURE
 PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
Alpha-tocopherols is a viscous oily liquid. (Maya, Mayur, & Ashar, 2012) It has a
red to reddish-brown color. Furthermore, it is soluble in vetegable oils, fats,
essential oils, acetone, alcohol, chloroform, ether, and ethanol. However, it is
insoluble in water. It has a melting point of 2.5-3.5C and a boiling point of 200-
220C. It has a very slight to odorless odor. (Smith, 1991; Ash, 2004)

CHEMICAL PROPERTIES
Vitamin E is a chain- breaking antioxidants. (Burton & Ingold, 1986) Structure of
vitamin E are divided into two big categories which are called tocopherols (T) and
tocotrienols (T3). The structure of these two groups differ among one other in the
number and position of their methyl group on the chromanol ring. As shown in
the previous page, these are then divided into eight subcategories which includes
alpha-tocopherols, beta-tocopherols , sigma-tocopherols, gamma-tocopherols,
alpha-tocotrienols, beta-tocotrienols, sigma-tocotrienols, and gamma-tocotrienols.
Although, alpha-tocopherol is the most abundant form in nature. (Brigelius-flohe &
Traber, 1999; Nowak & Zielinska, 2014)

PURPOSE/APPLICATION
Vitamin E have been proven to have an essential part on reproductive systems of
rats. In human body, it is important for the functioning of the body. Since human
body are not able to synthesis vitamin E, foods would be the source to gain
vitamin NOTES
E. Factors such as having bad diets by consuming caffeine, nicotine, and
medicines my lead to hypovitaminosis, a type of vitamin deficiency. Although,
specifically vitamin E deficiency is caused by disrupted tocopherol absorption.
This could be caused by removal of small intestine or fatty diarrhea. The effect of
vitamin deficiency may result to anemia, visual disorders, bronchopulmonary
dysplasia, and sudden death in children and new born. Not only this, it increase
the risks of having infectious diseases, cardiovascular diseases, inflammatory
processes, atherosclerosis, and cancer. On the contrary, having vitamin E helps
protect the body cells from aging. It helps supply oxygen to the human body. A
product that is made from vitamin E are cosmetic products and cream. They
nourish the skin and improve elasticity. (Brigelius-flohe & Traber, 1999; Nowak &
Zielinska, 2014)
 REFERENCES
1. Ash, I., & M. (2004). Handbook of Preservatives . New York , United States of
America: Synapse Information Resources, Inc. .
2. Brigelius-flohe, R., & Traber, M.G. (1999, July). Vitamin E: function and
metabolism. The FASEB Journal, 13, 1145-1155.
3. Burton, G.W., & Ingold, K.U. (1986). Vitamin E: Application of the Principles of
Physical Organic Chemistry to the Exploration of Its Structure and Function.
Accounts of Chemical Research, 19, 194-201.
4. Maya, W., Mayur, K., & Ashar, S. (2012, July-September). Internal Journal of
Pharmaceutical and Chemical Journal. Pharmaceutical Profile of Alpha-
Tocopherol - A Brief Review, 1(3), 1023-1039.
5. Nowak, I., & Zielinska, A. (2014). Tocopherols and tocotrienols as vitamin E.
CHEMIK , 585-591.
6. Smith, J. (1991). Food Additive User's Handbook. Springer Science+Business
Media New York.