Question

Which of the following is true about a vitamin?

• A. Vitamins can remain stable at high temperatures.
• B. Vitamins acts as co-factors in enzymatic reactions.
• C. Vitamin increases the activation energy of a substrate and hence accelerates reactions.
• D. Vitamins are always fat soluble.

Answer 1

The correct option is B Vitamins acts as co-factors in enzymatic reactions.

Vitamins are essential compounds that must be acquired through the diet because the body can't synthesize them. One of the reasons vitamins are needed is because they play an indirect role in catalysis, in which enzymes speed up chemical reactions. However, most vitamins can't help enzymes on their own. In order to participate in catalytic reactions, most vitamins have to change into coenzymes that are small "co-pilot" molecules that pair up with enzymes. These coenzymes are extremely useful because they stay the same after catalysis, so they're recycled and reused multiple times.