Overview

Folic acid (FOH-lik AS-id) is a member of the B vitamin group, which is essential for the production of proteins and nucleic acids. In pure form, it is a tasteless, odorless, orange-to-yellow crystalline substance that is destroyed by heat or exposure to light. The compound occurs in three similar forms with comparable biological activity. Only one of its forms, l-pteroylglutamic acid, is made synthetically (in a laboratory). Folic acid is sometimes referred to in its ionic form as folate, which differs from folic acid only in the absence of a single hydrogen atom in its structure. The term folate is also used for a group of compounds structurally similar to folic acid.

Key Facts

Other Names:

L-glutamic acid; vitamin Bc; vitamin B₉; vitamin M

Formula:

C₁₉H₁₉N₇O₆

Elements:

Carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen

Compound Type:

Organic acid

State:

Solid

Molecular Weight:

441.40 g/mol

Melting Point: