# Redoxon

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Brand name of the artificially synthesized vitamin C

Pharmaceutical compound

Redoxon Clinical data Trade names Redoxon

Redoxon Double Action Vitamin C standard tablets

Redoxon Vita Guard Ace+ Vitamin C standard tablets

**Redoxon** is the brand name of the first artificially synthesized [ascorbic acid](/source/Ascorbic_acid) ([vitamin C](/source/Vitamin_C)).[1][*[failed verification](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Verifiability)*] Redoxon was first marketed to the general public by [Roche](/source/Roche) in 1934, making it the first mass-manufactured synthetic vitamin in history.[2][*[failed verification](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Verifiability)*] The brand is now owned by German pharmaceutical company [Bayer](/source/Bayer) and is sold in many countries.[*[quantify](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Dates_and_numbers)*]

## History

The product was developed by a team headed by chemist [Tadeusz Reichstein](/source/Tadeusz_Reichstein), who discovered a method of synthesizing 30-40 grams of vitamin C from 100 grams of [glucose](/source/Glucose). This used an intermediate step of creating [sorbose](/source/Sorbose) using a bacterial fermentation method discovered by a French researcher, [Gabriel Bertrand](/source/Gabriel_Bertrand). In this method, [fruit flies](/source/Drosophila_melanogaster) were attracted to a mixture of wine, vinegar, yeast bouillon, and [sorbitol](/source/Sorbitol), a substance easily chemically prepared from glucose. Flies that fed upon sorbitol as a major food substrate excreted bacteria that were able to synthesize sorbose from sorbitol. The bacteria species was isolated, cultured and used in a fermentation process to make sorbose. From sorbose, chemical reactions were used to complete the synthesis of ascorbic acid.[3]

Despite concern about starting with a wild strain of bacteria for fermentation production of sorbose, the process was superior in cost and yield to a rival method by [Albert Szent-Györgyi](/source/Albert_Szent-Gy%C3%B6rgyi) that isolated vitamin C from [capsicum](/source/Capsicum) (peppers). After the sale of the [Reichstein process](/source/Reichstein_process) patent to Hoffmann-La Roche, this process became the basis of the corporation's large-scale production of vitamin C.[3]

The present-day Redoxon tablets are compounded from ascorbic acid and [sodium bicarbonate](/source/Sodium_bicarbonate). When these are added to water, they react to produce [sodium ascorbate](/source/Sodium_ascorbate), water and [carbon dioxide](/source/Carbon_dioxide), thus producing an [effervescence](/source/Effervescence_(chemistry)).[4] Some versions of Redoxon contain additional nutrients.

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Roche_1-0)** ["About Roche Consumer Health"](https://web.archive.org/web/20120303065304/http://www.roche.com/med-cor-2004-07-19). Roche. 19 July 2004. Archived from [the original](http://www.roche.com/med-cor-2004-07-19) on 3 March 2012. Retrieved 23 February 2012.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["Redoxon by Hoffman la Roche, Inc"](http://www.trademarkia.com/redoxon-71350953.html). Retrieved 2012-02-21.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-bfb_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-bfb_3-1) Renneberg R, Demain A (2008). [*Biotechnology for beginners*](https://books.google.com/books?id=lDYL6793vMkC). [Elsevier](/source/Elsevier). p. 116. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0123735812](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0123735812).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Cheung D (2006), [*Inquiry-based laboratory work in chemistry*](https://web.archive.org/web/20220121015723/https://www3.fed.cuhk.edu.hk/chemistry/files/DerekCheung.pdf) (PDF), Hong Kong: Quality Education Fund, archived from [the original](http://www3.fed.cuhk.edu.hk/chemistry/files/DerekCheung.pdf) (PDF) on 2022-01-21, retrieved 2009-11-19

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Redoxon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redoxon) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redoxon?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.