tocopherol Biochem.
(təˈkɒfərɒl)
[f. toco- + Gr. ϕέρ-ειν to bear + -ol.]
Vitamin E: any or all of a group of closely related fat-soluble compounds that occur esp. in plant oils and are anti-oxidants essential in the diets of many animals and probably of man.
| 1936 H. M. Evans in Jrnl. Biol. Chem. CXIII. 321 For this alcohol we propose the name ‘α-tocopherol’. 1956 Nature 14 Jan. 86/2 (heading), η-Tocopherol (7-methyltocol): a new tocopherol in rice. 1968 Passmore & Robson Compan. Med. Stud. I. x. 9/1 Vitamin E is a mixture of tocopherols, which are yellow oily liquids remarkably stable to heat. 1972 Daily Colonist (Victoria, B.C.) 13 Feb. 27/4 Glib armchair vitamin experts discuss tocopherol, the chemical name of Vitamin E, as easily as they talked of ascorbic acid and riboflavin two years ago. 1979 Nature 19 Apr. 737/2 Vitamin E (α-tocopherol) and vitamin C (ascorbic acid) react rapidly with organic free radicals, and it is widely accepted that the antioxidant properties of these compounds are responsible in part for their biological activity. |