sitelinks-wikipedia
"Edit interlanguage links")

  * [ Article  ](/wiki/Vitamin_B12 "View the content page \[c\]")
  * [ Talk  ](/wiki/Talk:Vitamin_B12 "Discuss improvements to the content page \[t\]")

English

  * [ Read  ](/wiki/Vitamin_B12)
  * [ Edit  ](/w/index.php?title=Vitamin_B12&action=edit "Edit this page \[e\]")
  * [ View history  ](/w/index.php?title=Vitamin_B12&action=history "Past revisions of this page \[h\]")

Tools

Tools

move to sidebar  hide

Actions

  * [ Read  ](/wiki/Vitamin_B12)
  * [ Edit  ](/w/index.php?title=Vitamin_B12&action=edit "Edit this page \[e\]")
  * [ View history  ](/w/index.php?title=Vitamin_B12&action=history)

General

  * [ What links here  ](/wiki/Special:WhatLinksHere/Vitamin_B12 "List of all English Wikipedia pages containing links to this page \[j\]")
  * [ Related changes  ](/wiki/Special:RecentChangesLinked/Vitamin_B12 "Recent changes in pages linked from this page \[k\]")
  * [ Upload file  ](/wiki/Wikipedia:File_Upload_Wizard "Upload files \[u\]")
  * [ Special pages  ](/wiki/Special:SpecialPages "A list of all special pages \[q\]")
  * [ Permanent link  ](/w/index.php?title=Vitamin_B12&oldid=1214765946 "Permanent link to this revision of this page")
  * [ Page information  ](/w/index.php?title=Vitamin_B12&action=info "More information about this page")
  * [ Cite this page  ](/w/index.php?title=Special:CiteThisPage&page=Vitamin_B12&id=1214765946&wpFormIdentifier=titleform "Information on how to cite this page")
  * [ Get shortened URL  ](/w/index.php?title=Special:UrlShortener&url=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FVitamin_B12)
  * [ Download QR code  ](/w/index.php?title=Special:QrCode&url=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FVitamin_B12)
  * [ Wikidata item  ](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Special:EntityPage/Q187706 "Structured data on this page hosted by Wikidata \[g\]")

Print/export

  * [ Download as PDF  ](/w/index.php?title=Special:DownloadAsPdf&page=Vitamin_B12&action=show-download-screen "Download this page as a PDF file")
  * [ Printable version  ](/w/index.php?title=Vitamin_B12&printable=yes "Printable version of this page \[p\]")

In other projects

  * [ Wikimedia Commons  ](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Vitamin_B12)

[ ![This is a good article. Click here for more
information.](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/94/Symbol_support_vote.svg/19px-
Symbol_support_vote.svg.png) ](/wiki/Wikipedia:Good_articles* "This is a good
article. Click here for more information.")

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Vitamin used in animal cells' metabolism

This article is about the family of vitamers. For individual forms, see [
hydroxocobalamin ](/wiki/Hydroxocobalamin "Hydroxocobalamin") , [
cyanocobalamin ](/wiki/Cyanocobalamin "Cyanocobalamin") , [ methylcobalamin
](/wiki/Methylcobalamin "Methylcobalamin") , and [ adenosylcobalamin
](/wiki/Adenosylcobalamin "Adenosylcobalamin") .

"B12" and "Cbl" redirect here. For other uses of B12, see [ B12
(disambiguation) ](/wiki/B12_\(disambiguation\) "B12 \(disambiguation\)") .
For the musical group, see [ Carbon Based Lifeforms
](/wiki/Carbon_Based_Lifeforms "Carbon Based Lifeforms") .

  

Vitamin B12  [
![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Cobalamin_skeletal.svg/200px-
Cobalamin_skeletal.svg.png) ](/wiki/File:Cobalamin_skeletal.svg)

General [ skeletal formula ](/wiki/Skeletal_formula "Skeletal formula") of
cobalamins  
  
---  
[ ![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/03/Cyanocobalamin-from-
xtal-3D-st-noH.png/200px-Cyanocobalamin-from-xtal-3D-st-noH.png)
](/wiki/File:Cyanocobalamin-from-xtal-3D-st-noH.png)

[ Stick model ](/wiki/Ball-and-stick_model "Ball-and-stick model") of [
cyanocobalamin ](/wiki/Cyanocobalamin "Cyanocobalamin") (R = CN) based on the
crystal structure  [1]  
  
Clinical data  
Other names  |  Vitamin B12, vitamin B-12, cobalamin  
[ AHFS ](/wiki/American_Society_of_Health-System_Pharmacists "American Society
of Health-System Pharmacists") / [ Drugs.com ](/wiki/Drugs.com "Drugs.com") |
[ Monograph ](https://www.drugs.com/monograph/vitamin_b12.html)  
[ MedlinePlus ](/wiki/MedlinePlus "MedlinePlus") |  [ a605007
](https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a605007.html)  
[ License data ](/wiki/Regulation_of_therapeutic_goods "Regulation of
therapeutic goods") |

  * US  [ DailyMed ](/wiki/DailyMed "DailyMed") :  [ Vitamin_b12 ](https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/search.cfm?labeltype=all&query=Vitamin_b12)

  
  
[ Routes of  
administration ](/wiki/Route_of_administration "Route of administration") |  [
By mouth ](/wiki/Oral_administration "Oral administration") , sublingual, [
intravenous ](/wiki/Intravenous "Intravenous") (IV), [ intramuscular
](/wiki/Intramuscular "Intramuscular") (IM), intranasal  
[ ATC code ](/wiki/Anatomical_Therapeutic_Chemical_Classification_System
"Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Classification System") |

  * [ B03BA01 ](/wiki/ATC_code_B03 "ATC code B03") (  [ WHO ](https://www.whocc.no/atc_ddd_index/?code=B03BA01) ) 

  
  
Legal status  
[ Legal status ](/wiki/Regulation_of_therapeutic_goods "Regulation of
therapeutic goods") |

  * UK  :  OTC 
  * US  :  [ OTC ](/wiki/Over-the-counter_drug "Over-the-counter drug")

  
  
[ Pharmacokinetic ](/wiki/Pharmacokinetics "Pharmacokinetics") data  
[ Bioavailability ](/wiki/Bioavailability "Bioavailability") |  Readily
absorbed in distal half of the ileum.  
[ Protein binding ](/wiki/Plasma_protein_binding "Plasma protein binding") |
Very high to specific [ transcobalamins ](/wiki/Transcobalamins
"Transcobalamins") plasma proteins.  
Binding of [ hydroxocobalamin ](/wiki/Hydroxocobalamin "Hydroxocobalamin") is
slightly higher than cyanocobalamin.  
[ Metabolism ](/wiki/Drug_metabolism "Drug metabolism") |  [ Liver
](/wiki/Liver "Liver")  
[ Elimination  half-life  ](/wiki/Biological_half-life "Biological half-life")
|  Approximately 6 days  
(400 days in the liver).  
[ Excretion ](/wiki/Excretion "Excretion") |  [ Kidney ](/wiki/Kidney
"Kidney")  
Identifiers  
  
[ IUPAC name ](/wiki/IUPAC_nomenclature_of_chemistry "IUPAC nomenclature of
chemistry")

  * α-(5,6-Dimethylbenzimidazolyl)cobamidcyanide 

  
  
[ CAS Number ](/wiki/CAS_Registry_Number "CAS Registry Number") |

  * [ 68-19-9 ](https://commonchemistry.cas.org/detail?cas_rn=68-19-9)

  
  
[ PubChem ](/wiki/PubChem