History of Naming Vitamins Using the Alphabet

Purity Vitamin Australia - Understanding the origin of the naming of vitamins, which is always followed by the alphabet, is interesting to discuss. The term "vitamin" was coined in 1911 by a biochemist born in Warsaw named Casimir Funk.

The story of the origin of the naming of vitamins, which always follows the alphabet, begins when a researcher named Cornelius Adrianus Pekelharing conducted research on animal milk in 1905.

History of Naming Vitamins Using the Alphabet

According to Gizmodo, this research aimed to discover the substances present in animal milk before they were fully understood. From this yet-to-be-revealed research, a scientist and researcher named Casimir Funk later attempted to investigate further about the substances or amino acids in 1912.

At the Lister Institute in London, Funk conducted experiments to isolate the substance that prevented nerve inflammation (neuritis) in chickens raised with a diet lacking this substance. In his research, he named this substance "vitamin" because he believed it was essential for life and could cure diseases.

The origin of the naming of vitamins, which is always followed by the alphabet, progressed in accordance with the sequence of their discoveries.

From 1910 to 1920, Vitamins A, B, C, D, and E were successfully discovered and named with alphabet letters. This research was conducted on both fat-soluble and water-soluble components, leading to the discovery of Vitamins A to E.

In 1920, more vitamins were discovered, namely B1 and B2. However, these vitamins were later grouped together due to their similarities in properties, distribution in natural sources, and overlapping physiological functions.

They were then referred to as the "Vitamin B complex."

It is known that Vitamin B has various types, including Vitamin B12 (cobalamin), discovered in 1926, B5 (pantothenic acid), B7 (Biotin) in 1931, B6 (pyridoxine) in 1934, B3 (Niacin), and B9 (folic acid) in 1941.