Difference Between Zinc Picolinate and Zinc Gluconate

The key difference between zinc picolinate and zinc gluconate is that zinc picolinate is derived from picolinic acid, whereas zinc gluconate is derived from gluconic acid.

Zinc picolinate and zinc gluconate are inorganic salt compounds derived from organic acids. They are salt compounds of zinc metal.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Zinc Picolinate
3. What is Zinc Gluconate
4. Similarities Between Zinc Picolinate and Zinc Gluconate
5. Side by Side Comparison – Zinc Picolinate vs Zinc Gluconate in Tabular Form
6. Summary

What is Zinc Picolinate?

Zinc picolinate is an inorganic compound and the zinc salt of picolinic acid. It is a small molecule having the chemical formula C₁₂H₈N₂O₄Zn. Its IUPAC name is zinc;pyridine-2-carboxylate. This molecule has one zinc cation (Zn²⁺) associated with two picolinate ions (conjugated base of picolinic acid).

Moreover, the molar mass of this compound is 309.58 g/mol. It is a dietary supplement we use to treat or prevent zinc deficiency. The administration of this supplement increases the absorption of zinc.

Zinc picolinate is mainly available as a supplement that can be consumed by vegans and vegetarians because this product features important mineral components that have a role in many biochemical processes that are taking place in our body. The normal administration is taking one capsule per day orally.

What is Zinc Gluconate?

Zinc gluconate is a type of organic zinc supplement that has a zinc salt of gluconic acid. It is an ionic compound that has a zinc cation and gluconate anion. Moreover, it is a dietary supplement, and we can produce it industrially via the fermentation of glucose. Therefore, this product has a long shelf life as well.

Generally, some zinc supplements contain cadmium as an ingredient, but cadmium can lead to kidney failure; thus, zinc gluconate is a better choice because it contains the lowest amount of cadmium among other zinc supplements.

Furthermore, the chemical formula of this compound is C₁₂H₂₂O₁₄Zn, and the molar mass is 455.68 g/mol. Furthermore, its melting point can range from 172 to 175 °C.

What are the Similarities Between Zinc Picolinate and Zinc Gluconate?

• Both are ionic compounds of zinc metal.
• These substances are available as supplements that are taken orally.
• They have organic acids as their parent compounds.

What is the Difference Between Zinc Picolinate and Zinc Gluconate?

Zinc picolinate and zinc gluconate are inorganic salt compounds derived from acids. The key difference between zinc picolinate and zinc gluconate is that zinc picolinate is derived from picolinic acid, whereas zinc gluconate is derived from gluconic acid. Furthermore, the chemical formula of zinc picolinate is C₁₂H₈N₂O₄Zn, while the chemical formula of zinc gluconate is C₁₂H₂₂O₁₄Zn. Therefore, zinc picolinate contains nitrogen atoms, but zinc gluconate does not.

Moreover, research studies suggest that zinc picolinate is well absorbed by the human body compared to other forms of zinc salts such as zinc gluconate and zinc citrate.

Following is a summary of the difference between zinc picolinate and zinc gluconate in tabular form.

Summary – Zinc Picolinate vs Zinc Gluconate

Zinc picolinate and zinc gluconate are zinc salts. The key difference between zinc picolinate and zinc gluconate is that zinc picolinate is derived from picolinic acid, whereas zinc gluconate is derived from gluconic acid. Moreover, zinc picolinate is better absorbed by the human body than zinc gluconate when used as a dietary supplement.

Reference:

1. “Zinc: Overview, uses, side effects, precautions, interactions, dosing and reviews.” Webmd. Available here.
2. Rachael Link. “What Are Zinc Supplements Good For? Benefits and More” Health Line, Available here.

Image Courtesy:

1. “IMG_8630” By Heidi Uusitorppa (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) via Flickr
2. “Zinc pills” By Mx. Granger – Own work (CC0) via Commons Wikimedia