Which of the following acid is also a vitamin?

20172021

Which of the following acid is also a vitamin?

  1. A.

    Malic acid

  2. B.

    Ascorbic acid

  3. C.

    Palmitic acid

  4. D.

    Formic acid

Attempted by 2 students.

Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B

Vitamins are organic compounds required in small (trace) amounts for normal metabolism; several vitamins are, by chemical structure, carboxylic acids — Vitamin C's official chemical name is L-ascorbic acid.

Among the acids listed, only Ascorbic acid is officially classified and required in the diet as a vitamin (Vitamin C) — it is essential for collagen synthesis, wound healing, and antioxidant defence, and its absence causes the deficiency disease scurvy.

  • Malic acid: a dicarboxylic acid naturally present in apples and used as a food acidulant and citric-acid-cycle intermediate; it is not classified as a vitamin.

  • Palmitic acid: a saturated (C16) fatty acid common in animal fats and palm oil; it serves as an energy-yielding nutrient, not a vitamin.

  • Formic acid: the simplest carboxylic acid, present in ant stings (its name derives from Latin "formica", ant) and used industrially; it has no recognized vitamin function in the human body.

Hence, Ascorbic acid is the acid that is also a vitamin.

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