β-Carotene vs Retinol: what is the difference?
Retinol is preformed vitamin A that the body uses directly, while beta-carotene is two retinol units joined, cut into vitamin A only as the body needs it.
Sources and notes
- The sentence under the titlefrom sourceMoleculeFinder comparison notesThe pair's answer line.
- The two drawingscomputedMoleculeFinder rule (RDKit MCS)Drawn the same way round on the skeleton they share. Aligned; 21 atoms differ, too many to mark as one group.
- Structural similaritycomputedRDKit Morgan/Tanimoto0.80 of 1, a Morgan fingerprint Tanimoto coefficient. It measures shape, not effect.
Side by side
| β-Carotene | Retinol | |
|---|---|---|
| Molecular weightCalculated PubChem | 536.9 g/molC40H56 | 286.5 g/molC20H30O |
| Hydrogen-bond donorsCalculated PubChem | 0 | 1 |
| Where each turns upEditorial MoleculeFinder food and product lists |
|
|
| FamilyEditorial MoleculeFinder curated | Carotenoids | Vitamins |
| Everyday groupEditorial MoleculeFinder curated | Plant | Nutrient |
| Chemical groupsCalculated Found by rule (RDKit) | Not recorded | Alcohols |
| Hazard labelReported ECHA via PubChem | Not recorded | Danger |
| The supplier-filed hazard label's signal word, not a statement about ordinary use. | ||
| Oral LD50Measured HSDB via PubChem | Not recorded | 2,570 mg/kgpure retinol, mouse, oral |
| A single acute animal measure. It ranks nothing about human safety. | ||
Sources and notes
- Molecular weightcomputedPubChemComputed from the structure; the formula is under each weight.
- Hydrogen-bond donorscomputedPubChemThe hydrogens on nitrogen or oxygen that each molecule can lend to a hydrogen bond, counted from its structure.
- Where each turns upfrom sourceMoleculeFinder food and product listsEach amount is an editorial figure from our lists, not a measurement of any one product. Each mark is set by hand on the list, never inferred.
- Familyfrom sourceMoleculeFinder curated
- Everyday groupfrom sourceMoleculeFinder curated
- Chemical groupscomputedFound by rule (RDKit)Each group is found in the structure by a chemical pattern.
- Hazard labelfrom sourceECHA via PubChem
- Oral LD50from sourceHSDB via PubChem
- ECHAfrom sourceAttributionSource: European Chemicals Agency, echa.europa.eu.
- Identifiersfrom sourcePubChemPubChem CID 5280489 (β-Carotene) and 445354 (Retinol).
In more detail
The body makes that cut in the gut wall. That conversion is the entire difference. Retinol is preformed vitamin A from animal sources and is used directly, so it accumulates and can reach toxic levels; beta-carotene is converted only as needed, so surplus is stored in fat and skin rather than causing vitamin A toxicity. Eating a very large amount of beta-carotene turns skin orange, which is harmless and reversible. Beta-carotene is the orange of carrots and sweet potato and is nearly twice retinol's weight at 536.9 against 286.5. Conversion efficiency varies a great deal between people.
Sources and notes
- The paragraphfrom sourceMoleculeFinder comparison notes
Questions
- What is the difference between β-Carotene and Retinol?
- Retinol is preformed vitamin A that the body uses directly, while beta-carotene is two retinol units joined, cut into vitamin A only as the body needs it.
- Is β-Carotene bigger than Retinol?
- β-Carotene is the heavier molecule, 536.9 g/mol against 286.5 g/mol for Retinol. β-Carotene is C40H56 and Retinol is C20H30O.
Sources and notes
- The answersfrom sourceMoleculeFinderThe first is the pair's answer line; the others are read off the table above.