Vitamin E is used to refer to a group of fat-soluble compounds that include both tocopherol

Tocopherol

Tocopherols are a class of chemical compounds of which many have vitamin E activity. It is a series of organic compounds consisting of various methylated phenols...

s and tocotrienol

Tocotrienol

Tocotrienols are members of the vitamin E family. An essential nutrient for the body, vitamin E is made up of four tocopherols and four tocotrienols . The slight difference between tocotrienols and tocopherols lie in the unsaturated side chain having three double bonds in its farnesyl isoprenoid...

s. There are many different forms of vitamin E, of which γ-tocopherol

Gamma-tocopherol

γ-Tocopherol is one of the chemical compounds that is considered vitamin E. As a food additive, it has E number E308.See the main article tocopherol for more information.-See also:* alpha-Tocopherol* beta-Tocopherol* delta-Tocopherol...

 is the most common in the North American diet. γ-Tocopherol can be found in corn oil, soybean oil, margarine and dressings. α-Tocopherol

Alpha-tocopherol

α-Tocopherol is a type of tocopherol with formula C29H50O2. It has E number "E307".α-Tocopherol is a form of vitamin E that is preferentially absorbed and accumulated in humans...

, the most biologically active form of vitamin E, is the second most common form of vitamin E in the North American diet.