Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) was discovered in 1928 as the agent in citrus that prevented scurvy. The structure of what was then called hexuronic acid was identified by Haworth in 1933, and a process for its synthesis was described by Reichstein in that same year.
In the ensuing years, a great deal has been discovered about vitamin C. We have learned that humans and a small fraction of animals like guinea pigs, some carnivorous fish and several species of birds require a dietary supply because they cannot synthesize adequate amounts of vitamin C. They lack adequate liver L-gulonolactone oxidase activity, the rate-limiting enzyme, to convert carbohydrates such as galactose or glucose into ascorbic acid.
