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Understanding Vitamin Solubility Types

Mar 25, 2025

Lecture on Solubility of Vitamins

Key Concepts

  • Vitamins can be categorized into two types based on their solubility:
    • Water-soluble vitamins
      • Dissolve in bodily fluids
      • Easily eliminated in urine
      • Little danger of overconsumption
    • Fat-soluble vitamins
      • Accumulate in body's fatty deposits
      • Overconsumption can be dangerous

Vitamin Classification Based on Structure

Vitamin C

  • Classification: Water-soluble
  • Structure Details:
    • Contains 4 OH (hydroxyl) groups
    • Highly polar
    • Capable of hydrogen bonding with water

Vitamin K3

  • Classification: Fat-soluble
  • Structure Details:
    • Carbon-carbon bonds are non-polar
    • Carbon-hydrogen bonds nearly non-polar
    • Carbon-oxygen bonds are polar but dipoles cancel out
    • Dominated by non-polar bonds

Vitamin A

  • Classification: Fat-soluble
  • Structure Details:
    • Carbon-carbon bonds are non-polar
    • Carbon-hydrogen bonds nearly non-polar
    • One polar OH group but overall non-polar

Vitamin B5

  • Classification: Water-soluble
  • Structure Details:
    • Contains 3 OH groups and 1 NH group
    • Highly polar
    • Capable of hydrogen bonding with water

Summary

  • Analyze the structure of a vitamin to determine its solubility.
  • Polar groups such as OH and NH increase water solubility.
  • Non-polar structures tend to be fat-soluble.
  • Understanding solubility helps in knowing the risks of overconsumption.