Chemical names of major vitamins and their discoverers

The first vitamin was discovered by Casimir Funk in 1912. Funk is known as the father of vitamin therapy. After this other vitamins were discovered, their chemical names and discoverer's names are as follows.

Vitamin A - chemical name - retinol - was discovered by Elmer Mc Callin in 1913. He discovered it in butter and egg yolk and showed that vitamin A is fat soluble.

Vitamin B1 - Chemical name - Thiamine - This vitamin was discovered by Christian Eijk Mann in 1980 while studying beriberi disease. It was discovered from rice bran.

Vitamin B2 - Chemical name - Riboflavin - Discovered by Richard Kuhn of Germany and Theodore Bagnaer Jauregg of Australia.

Vitamin B3 - Chemical name - Niacin - Discovered by Conrad Alvey. He isolated it from liver in 1937. Its active component was identified as pellagra-preventive factor. It is also called Vitamin PP or PP factor.

Vitamin B5 - Chemical name - Pantothenic (Pantothenic acid) It was discovered by American biochemist Roger-J.-Williams who isolated it as a yeast growth factor. It is named after Patons (meaning everywhere as it is found in almost every food)

Vitamin B6 - Chemical name - Pyridoxine - This vitamin was discovered by Paul Gyorgy. In 1934 he discovered that a substance could cure rats of Pracha disease which was later identified as vitamin B6.

Vitamin B7 - Chemical name - Biotin - It was discovered by Paul Gyorgy in 1971. He isolated it from the liver. And named it B7. Later it came to be known as Biotin or Vitamin Seven.

Vitamin B9 - Chemical name - Polyic acid - It was discovered by Henry Mischel in 1941. It was isolated in 1941. And it was named Polyic acid.

Vitamin B12 – Chemical name – Cyanocobalamin – This vitamin was discovered by Dr. Carl Forkers and Dr. Alexander Arthur.

Vitamin C - Chemical name - Ascorbic acid - This vitamin was discovered by Albert Szent Gyorgyi. In 1928, he isolated a substance from the adrenal glands. Which he called hexuronic acid. Which was later identified as vitamin C.

Vitamin D - Chemical name - Caliche Ferrol - Vitamin D was discovered by Elmer McCollum. He discovered it from cord liver oil in 1922.

Vitamin E - Chemical name - Tocopherol - Discovered in 1922 by Howard Macklin Evans and Cafferin J.S. Wisoff. They identified it as a dietary factor essential for reproduction in rats.

Vitamin K - Chemical name - Phylloquinone - This vitamin was discovered by Danish biochemist Heinrich Carl Peter Damme in 1929 while studying the problem of bleeding in growing chicks.