Vitamin E: A top class antioxidant

From metabolism to sleep rhythm and mental fitness: Vitamins are important for our welfare and health. They are of great importance for many processes in our body and can trigger health problems if they are lacking. In short, they strengthen the immune system and help us to stay vital. Since the human body is generally not able to produce vitamins itself, they have to be absorbed as part of our daily food. In specific circumstances such as illness or advanced age, an additional intake of vitamins via dietary supplements may become necessary to support the physical performance of the body.

Let's take a closer look at vitamin E, also known under its scientific name tocopherol. As the most important fat-soluble antioxidant, vitamin E protects the cell membranes against free radicals and supports the protective barrier of the skin. That's why vitamin E is not only a component of many nutrient combinations but also used by cosmetics manufacturers in the production of anti-aging skin care products. For this purpose synthetic copies of the natural vitamin are enclosed. However, vitamin E is also favoured by the food industry as antioxidant which is added in synthetic form to oxidation-sensitive products like cooking fats, oils and margarine.

One of the possible basic building blocks to produce synthetic vitamin E is isophorone (IP)-based VESTASOL^®, developed by Evonik's Crosslinkers Business Line. For the production of synthetic vitamin E there are many process steps necessary. But without VESTASOL^® IP in the very beginning, trimethylhydroquinone (TMHQ), which is needed as main feedstock for the synthesis of vitamin E, cannot be produced at the end. Apropos end: By the further processing the isophorone itself is no longer present in the end product.

Crosslinkers - Creating Marketable and Intelligent Solutions

Since 1962, Evonik is a pioneer and reliable partner for its customers and their needs all over the word in the field of isophorone chemistry. Today, 60 years later, Evonik is represented worldwide by its innovative isophorone-based VESTA brand family. Applications range from coatings and adhesives to civil engineering, high-performance elastomers and composites. Evonik is now going even further by being the first company in the world to create a sustainable isophorone string in order to take a pole position in climate protection and to help customers to improve their carbon footprint.

VESTASOL^® IP is a basic building block for the production of synthetic vitamin E