What is the structure of vitamin E?

Vitamin E, an important antioxidant in human and animal diet, is not the only substance, but a number of chemical compounds with a related chemical structure. There are two main types of vitamin E compounds: tocopherols and tocotrienoles. These are organic compounds, which means that they consist mainly of hydrogen and carbon atoms and are also soluble in fat. The differences in the structure of vitamin E compounds provide a total of eight variations - four tocopherol and four tocotrienol structures, each of which has identified alpha, beta, gamma and delta. The aromatic ring is a hexagonal ring composed of six -bound coal. Three of the bonds are double bonds, which means that the atoms in these bonds share four electrons rather than the usual two. In the aromatic ring, these types of bonds alternate carbon internities.

In all forms of vitamin E, these rings are connected to the tail of carbon and hydrogen atoms. Tocopherols have a saturated tail, cIt means that all carbon atoms are bound to hydrogen atoms with individual bonds - a single pair of electrons is shared in each binding. In tocotrienols, the tail is unsaturated and some carbons are double connected and share four electrons. The vitamin E structure also includes the hydroxyl group in its carbon circle - an oxygen atom associated with the hydrogen atom.

Tocopherols are found in plants, nuts and oils such as sunflower and peanut oil. Human beings tend to absorb the most common form known as alpha-tocopherol. Alfa, beta, gamma and delta tocopherols are distinguished by each other on the basis of mild changes in their chemical structures. These changes occur in groups of atoms associated with carbons in the aromatic circle.

Tocotrienols naturally occur in coconut oil, barley and several other foods, even if they are not as common as tocopherols. The structure of vitamin E in its form of tocotrienol is effective in skin anti -aging products.It is because of the unsaturated tail of the molecule, which makes it better to move to areas of saturated fat.

Hydroxyl group in vitamin E structure gives vitamin its antioxidant properties. This group chemically captures free radicals, compounds that would otherwise cause a chain reaction to cell damage. The ability of vitamin E prevent oxidation is valuable for general tissue health.