Reducing Sugars
Mediumchemistry
A reducing sugar must possess:
Select the correct option:
Solution
Incorrect! Answer:
Free anomeric carbon capable of ring opening
- Reducing Ability: Refers to the ability of a sugar to reduce mild oxidizing agents like Benedict's reagent or Tollens' reagent.
- Reactive Site: The sugar must be able to convert to its open-chain form to expose a free aldehyde or α-hydroxyketone group.
- Chemical Requirement: This requires a free anomeric carbon (hemiacetal or hemiketal group).
- Non-reducing Case: If the anomeric carbons of two sugars are linked (as in sucrose), they cannot open up, and the sugar is non-reducing.
- Standard: All monosaccharides (Glucose, Fructose, etc.) and many disaccharides (Maltose, Lactose) are reducing sugars.
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About This Question
- Subject
- chemistry
- Chapter
- biomolecules
- Topic
- reducing sugars
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Year
- 2025
Solution
Correct Answer:
Free anomeric carbon capable of ring opening
- Reducing Ability: Refers to the ability of a sugar to reduce mild oxidizing agents like Benedict's reagent or Tollens' reagent.
- Reactive Site: The sugar must be able to convert to its open-chain form to expose a free aldehyde or α-hydroxyketone group.
- Chemical Requirement: This requires a free anomeric carbon (hemiacetal or hemiketal group).
- Non-reducing Case: If the anomeric carbons of two sugars are linked (as in sucrose), they cannot open up, and the sugar is non-reducing.
- Standard: All monosaccharides (Glucose, Fructose, etc.) and many disaccharides (Maltose, Lactose) are reducing sugars.
This medium difficulty chemistry question is from the chapter biomolecules, covering the topic of reducing sugars. It appeared in the 2025 exam.
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