Vitamin B12, an essential nutrient containing cobalt at its center with cyanide groups, critical for nerve function and red blood cell formation.
From cyano- (the cyanide groups) + cobalt + amine. Named for its chemical structure: cobalt surrounded by a porphyrin ring with cyanide ligands, discovered in the 1940s-1950s.
Cyanocobalamin is one of nature's strangest molecules—it contains both cobalt (a metal) and cyanide (usually a poison), yet it's essential for human life. Your body needs it to make DNA and maintain healthy nerves, and you can only get it from animal products or fortified foods.
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