Absorption Spectrum of Vitamin E

Abstract

IN previous letters to NATURE^1,2 Bowden and Moore described experiments on the absorption spectrum of the unsaponifiable fraction of wheat–germ oil, which were carried out with the view of deciding whether vitamin E possesses a characteristic absorp tion. It was found that the absorption in the region 3200-2850 A. followed most closely the reputed biological activity. The intensity of absorption was much lower than that found in typical vitamin A concentrates, suggesting either that vitamin E absorbs much less strongly than vitamin A, or that it is present in wheat–germ oil concentrates in relatively small amounts.