Citric acid vs Vitamin C: what is the difference?
Vitamin C is ascorbic acid, a vitamin humans must get from food, while citric acid is not a vitamin at all and the body makes it constantly.
Sources and notes
- The sentence under the titlefrom sourceMoleculeFinder comparison notesThe pair's answer line.
- The two drawingscomputedMoleculeFinder rule (RDKit MCS)Each molecule's own drawing, as its page shows it. The common core, 4 of 13 atoms, is too small to align on.
Side by side
| Citric acid | Vitamin C | |
|---|---|---|
| Molecular weightCalculated PubChem | 192.12 g/molC6H8O7 | 176.12 g/molC6H8O6 |
| Hydrogen-bond donorsCalculated PubChem | 4 | 4 |
| Where each turns upEditorial MoleculeFinder food and product lists |
Also on our fruit and household cleaners lists |
|
| FamilyEditorial MoleculeFinder curated | Organic acids | Vitamins |
| Everyday groupEditorial MoleculeFinder curated | Food & flavor | Nutrient |
| Chemical groupsCalculated Found by rule (RDKit) | Alcohols, Carboxylic Acids | Alcohols, Esters |
| Hazard labelReported ECHA, EU CLP Regulation, Safe Work Australia via PubChem | Warning | Not recorded |
| The supplier-filed hazard label's signal word, not a statement about ordinary use. | ||
| Oral LD50Measured HSDB via PubChem | 3,000 mg/kgpure citric acid, rat, oral | 5,000 mg/kgpure vitamin C, rat, 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, EU CLP Regulation, Safe Work Australia via PubChem
- Oral LD50from sourceHSDB via PubChem
- ECHAfrom sourceAttributionSource: European Chemicals Agency, echa.europa.eu.
- EU CLP Regulationfrom sourceAttributionSource: EUR-Lex, Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008, © European Union.
- Safe Work Australiafrom sourceAttributionSource: Safe Work Australia, Hazardous Chemical Information System, © Commonwealth of Australia, CC BY 4.0.
- Identifiersfrom sourcePubChemPubChem CID 311 (Citric acid) and 54670067 (Vitamin C).
In more detail
These two are often confused because both are sour, both come from citrus, and both are used as preservatives. Ascorbic acid is vitamin C, which humans cannot make and must eat; citric acid is not a vitamin at all and the body produces it constantly as part of the citric acid cycle. Citric acid preserves by lowering pH, while ascorbic acid preserves by being oxidised in place of the food, which is why it stops cut apples browning. Their weights are close, 192.12 and 176.12, and both are white crystalline powders, which is part of why the labels get misread. A product listing citric acid is making no claim about vitamin C.
Sources and notes
- The paragraphfrom sourceMoleculeFinder comparison notes
Questions
- What is the difference between Citric acid and Vitamin C (Ascorbic acid)?
- Vitamin C is ascorbic acid, a vitamin humans must get from food, while citric acid is not a vitamin at all and the body makes it constantly.
- Is Citric acid bigger than Vitamin C?
- Citric acid is the heavier molecule, 192.12 g/mol against 176.12 g/mol for Vitamin C. Citric acid is C6H8O7 and Vitamin C is C6H8O6.
- Which has the lower reported LD50, Citric acid or Vitamin C?
- Citric acid, at 3,000 mg/kg (oral, rat), against 5,000 mg/kg (oral, rat) for Vitamin C. An LD50 is one acute animal measurement, and the two here were not necessarily measured in the same species, so it is a data point rather than a ranking of how dangerous either is to a person.
Sources and notes
- The answersfrom sourceMoleculeFinderThe first is the pair's answer line; the others are read off the table above.