Vitamin E is a group of chemical compounds consisting of tocopherols and tocotrienols, with eight variations in total. Its structure includes two rings and a tail of carbon and hydrogen atoms, with tocopherols having a saturated tail and tocotrienols having an unsaturated tail. The hydroxyl group in its structure gives it antioxidant properties, and it is found in plants, nuts, and oils. Tocotrienols are effective in anti-aging skin products due to their unsaturated tail.
Vitamin E, an important antioxidant in human and animal diets, is not a single substance but a series of chemical compounds with relative chemical structure. There are two main types of vitamin E compounds: tocopherols and tocotrienols. These are organic compounds, meaning they consist mainly of hydrogen and carbon atoms, and are also soluble in fats. The differences in the structure of the vitamin E compounds provide eight variations in total: four tocopherol and four tocotrienol structures, each labeled alpha, beta, gamma, and delta.
The general structure of vitamin E consists of two rings of bonded atoms, one of which comprises an oxygen atom bonded to carbon atoms and the other is an aromatic ring. An aromatic ring is a hexagonal ring made up of six bonded carbon atoms. Three of the bonds are double bonds, meaning that the atoms in these bonds each share four electrons rather than the usual two. In an aromatic ring, these bond types alternate between carbon atoms.
In all forms of vitamin E, these rings are attached to a tail of carbon and hydrogen atoms. Tocopherols have a saturated tail, which means that all carbon atoms are bonded to hydrogen atoms in single bonds: a single pair of electrons are shared in each bond. With tocotrienols, the tail is unsaturated and some carbon atoms are double bonded, sharing four electrons. Vitamin E’s structure also includes a hydroxyl group in its carbon ring, an oxygen atom bonded to a hydrogen atom.
Tocopherols are found in plants, nuts and oils, such as sunflower and peanut oil. Humans tend to absorb the more common form, known as alpha-tocopherol. Alpha, beta, gamma and delta tocopherols are distinguished from each other based on slight variations in their chemical structures. These variations occur in the groups of atoms bonded to the carbons in the aromatic ring.
Tocotrienols occur naturally in coconut oil, barley and some other foods, although they are not as common as tocopherols. The structure of vitamin E in its tocotrienol form makes it effective in antiaging skin products. This is due to the molecule’s unsaturated tail, making it better able to move into areas of saturated fat.
The hydroxyl group in the vitamin E structure gives the vitamin its antioxidant properties. This group chemically captures free radicals, compounds that would otherwise cause a chain reaction that leads to cell damage. Vitamin E’s ability to prevent oxidation makes it valuable to overall tissue health.
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