Vitamin B12
68-19-9 · 5,6-dimethylbenzimidazolcyanocobalamide · Anacobin · B 12, Vitamin · B12, Vitamin · Cobalamin · Cobalamin (III) · Cobinamide, cyanide hydroxide, dihydrogen phosphate · Coobalamed · Cyanocobalamin · Cyanocobalamin (Vitamin B12) · Cynobal · Distivit (B12 peptide) · Factor II (vitamin B12) · Mecobalamin · Vatimin B12 · Vitamin B 12 · vitamin B-12 · Vitamin B12 · Vitamin B12;Cyanocobalamin · Vitamine B12 · cobalt(3+);[(2R,3S,4R,5S)-5-(5,6-dimethylbenzimidazol-1-yl)-4-hydroxy-2-(hydroxymethyl)oxolan-3-yl] [(2R)-1-[3-[(1R,2R,3R,5Z,7S,10Z,12S,13S,15Z,17S,18S,19R)-2,13,18-tris(2-amino-2-oxoethyl)-7,12,17-tris(3-amino-3-oxopropyl)-3,5,8,8,13,15,18,19-octamethyl-2,7,12,17-tetrahydro-1H-corrin-24-id-3-yl]propanoylamino]propan-2-yl] phosphate;cyanide · Vitamin B12CAS 68-19-9
Vitamin B12 is the one vitamin that plants do not make, which is why it is the standard fortificant in plant drinks, cereals and nutritional yeast. The commercial form is bacterial and contains no animal material.
Where it is and isn’t permitted
| Jurisdiction | Status | Scope and limits | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Permitted | 21 CFR 184.1945retrieved 2026-09-07 | |
| Codex Alimentarius | Not listedDoes not appear on this jurisdiction’s permitted list. That is not the same as being prohibited. |
What it is made from
Produced by bacterial fermentation, usually with Propionibacterium or Pseudomonas species. B12 in animal foods also originates from bacteria; the animal accumulates it rather than making it.
- Vegan
- Vegetarian
- CAS registry number
- 68-19-9
- InChIKey
- FDJOLVPMNUYSCM-SYUKHSAKSA-L
- PubChem
- CID 165339223
Every name it appears under
23 recorded names. A label may use any of them.
CAS registry number
- 68-19-9
As it appears in regulation
- Vitamin B12
Other names
- 5,6-dimethylbenzimidazolcyanocobalamide
- Anacobin
- B 12, Vitamin
- B12, Vitamin
- Cobalamin
- Cobalamin (III)
- Cobinamide, cyanide hydroxide, dihydrogen phosphate
- Coobalamed
- Cyanocobalamin
- Cyanocobalamin (Vitamin B12)
- Cynobal
- Distivit (B12 peptide)
- Factor II (vitamin B12)
- Mecobalamin
- Vatimin B12
- Vitamin B 12
- vitamin B-12
- Vitamin B12
- Vitamin B12;Cyanocobalamin
- Vitamine B12
Systematic names
- cobalt(3+);[(2R,3S,4R,5S)-5-(5,6-dimethylbenzimidazol-1-yl)-4-hydroxy-2-(hydroxymethyl)oxolan-3-yl] [(2R)-1-[3-[(1R,2R,3R,5Z,7S,10Z,12S,13S,15Z,17S,18S,19R)-2,13,18-tris(2-amino-2-oxoethyl)-7,12,17-tris(3-amino-3-oxopropyl)-3,5,8,8,13,15,18,19-octamethyl-2,7,12,17-tetrahydro-1H-corrin-24-id-3-yl]propanoylamino]propan-2-yl] phosphate;cyanide
Hazard reference values
No reference value for this substance in the sources we hold.
Evidence and how bodies read it
Studies, and the differing conclusions regulators drew from them, are curated by hand rather than machine-read, and none has been written for this substance yet.
Sources for this page
- ecfr retrieved 2026-09-07
Full licence terms and publisher details on Sources. How this page is built and updated: Method.
Machine-readable:/api/v1/additives/vitamin-b12.json