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Aquaculture: Pantothenic Acid
Properties

Pantothenic acid and vitamin B5 are the common names for dihydroxy-beta, beta-dimethylbutyryl-beta-alanine (Illus. 1). The free acid of the vitamin is a viscous, pale yellow oil readily soluble in water and ethyl acetate. Its calcium and other salts, however, are colorless crystalline substances. Calcium pantothenate is the main product used commercially.
Illustration 1

Pantothenic acid is optically active; thus it may be prepared either as the pure dextrorotatory (d) form or the racemic mixture (dl). Only the dextrorotatory form, d-pantothenate, is effective as a vitamin. Therefore, the racemic (dl) form has approximately half the biologic activity of d-calcium pantothenate. One gram of d-calcium pantothenate is equivalent to 0.92 g of d-pantothenate.

 
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