Acetyl CoA

Fritz Albert Lipmann (1899-1986), a biochemist, is responsible for discovering coenzyme A and cofactor A, or acetyl CoA (CoA) (A stands for acetylation), in 1947. He shared the 1953 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine with HANS KREBS.

Acetyl CoA is a compound formed in the mitochon­dria when the thiol group (-SH) of coenzyme A com­bines with an acetyl group (CH₃CO-). It is important in the Krebs cycle in cellular respiration and plays a role in the synthesis and oxidation of fatty acids.