Antioxidants/Vitamin C
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jjohnson
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Antioxidants/Vitamin C
I am wondering why Vitamin C is considered an ANTI-oxidant when it can be oxidized?
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taylorjones4
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Re: Antioxidants/Vitamin C
Dear jjohnson:
Vitamin C is a water-soluble antioxidant which means it can neutralize free radicals. It evidently does this job both within and outside of cells. Once it has completed this job - it becomes oxidized itself - meaning it becomes a weak free radical. It won't harm the body the way some free radicals can. I know the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has several articles regarding Vitamin C being an essential antioxidant. I hope this helps - thanks! Taylor
Vitamin C is a water-soluble antioxidant which means it can neutralize free radicals. It evidently does this job both within and outside of cells. Once it has completed this job - it becomes oxidized itself - meaning it becomes a weak free radical. It won't harm the body the way some free radicals can. I know the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has several articles regarding Vitamin C being an essential antioxidant. I hope this helps - thanks! Taylor
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HeatherL
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Re: Antioxidants/Vitamin C
Hi Taylor,
Part of your confusion has to do with the nature of oxidation-reduction ("redox") reactions. In redox reactions, one molecule loses electrons (gets oxidized), while another gains those electrons (and thus gets reduced). So, when vitamin C gets oxidized, it causes something else to get reduced. In other words, it prevents the oxidation of other things by becoming oxidized itself.
An analogy I find useful is to relate this to a cleaning agent. The purpose of a cleaning agent is to clean something - "anti-dirt." Let's say you have a dirty t-shirt, and you put it into a solution of cleaning agent (soapy water). The t-shirt gets clean, while the soapy water gets dirty. The cleaning agent got rid of the dirt, but in the process got dirty itself. It works the same way with redox reactions. The electrons are transferred from one molecule to another, just like the dirt!
Hope that helps.
Heather
Part of your confusion has to do with the nature of oxidation-reduction ("redox") reactions. In redox reactions, one molecule loses electrons (gets oxidized), while another gains those electrons (and thus gets reduced). So, when vitamin C gets oxidized, it causes something else to get reduced. In other words, it prevents the oxidation of other things by becoming oxidized itself.
An analogy I find useful is to relate this to a cleaning agent. The purpose of a cleaning agent is to clean something - "anti-dirt." Let's say you have a dirty t-shirt, and you put it into a solution of cleaning agent (soapy water). The t-shirt gets clean, while the soapy water gets dirty. The cleaning agent got rid of the dirt, but in the process got dirty itself. It works the same way with redox reactions. The electrons are transferred from one molecule to another, just like the dirt!
Hope that helps.
Heather