What is the chemical name of vitamin B12?

Concept

Vitamins commonly have both an alphanumeric designation and an established chemical or generic name.

To match a vitamin with its chemical name, distinguish it from the names assigned to other members of the B-complex group.

Application

Vitamin B12 is the collective designation for cobalamins, a family of cobalt-containing corrinoid compounds. Therefore, the corresponding chemical name among the listed values is cobalamin.

Contrast

• Thiamin is the conventional name for vitamin B1, not vitamin B12.

• Cobalamin denotes the vitamin B12 family of compounds.

• Niacin is the conventional name for vitamin B3, not vitamin B12.

• Only one listed individual name denotes vitamin B12, so the set claim “More than one of the above” does not apply.

• One listed individual name does denote vitamin B12, so the set claim “None of the above” does not apply.

Cross-check

The cobalt atom at the centre of the corrin ring explains the root “cobal-” in cobalamin and independently supports the identification.

Result

The chemical name of vitamin B12 is cobalamin.