Reducing Sugars

Question

A reducing sugar must possess:

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1. **Reducing Ability**: Refers to the ability of a sugar to reduce mild oxidizing agents like Benedict's reagent or Tollens' reagent.
2. **Reactive Site**: The sugar must be able to convert to its open-chain form to expose a free **aldehyde** or **$\alpha$-hydroxyketone** group.
3. **Chemical Requirement**: This requires a **free anomeric carbon** (hemiacetal or hemiketal group).
4. **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.
5. **Standard**: All monosaccharides (Glucose, Fructose, etc.) and many disaccharides (Maltose, Lactose) are reducing sugars.

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Reducing Sugars

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