Vitamin B12, cyanocobalamine, helps protect nerves and is involved in the formation of red blood cells in thee bone marrow. Vitamin B12 is also concerned in the biosynthesis of methyl groups of choline and methionine. The vitamin deficiency is often due to failure to absorb B12 from the stomach and can be alleviated by giving mg doses with extracts of hog's stomach which contains the intrinsic anti-pernicious anaemia factor (a mucoprotein) which promotes absorption.
Vitamin B12 is produced by the growth of certain micro-organisms and also occurs in the liver. Vitamin B12 has been prepared synthetically.
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The structure of Vitamin B12 Vitamin B12 consists of : a monovalent cobalt metal at the center , surrounded by a porphyrin-like structure of tetrapyrrole rings , bound to the metal center is a cyano group and a 5',6'-dimethylbenzimidazolyl nucleotide which is linked to the tetrapyrrole rings via a phosphate sugar linkage . |
Vitamin B12 -3D structure |
Vitamin B12 -space-filling image - Dark red crystals, C63H90CoN14O14P |
