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Question

Is glucose an oxidizing agent?


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Solution

  • All monosaccharides are known to be reducing sugars. Glucose, being an aldose, features a free aldehyde group in its open-chain form. Moreover, it can be categorized as reducing sugar.
  • Reducing sugar is one that can act as a reducing agent. It can reduce other compounds but oxidize itself because it has a free aldehyde group or a free ketone group.
  • The free aldehyde group is easily oxidized to carboxylic acids. So, it can oxidize itself but not others.
  • The structure of glucose is shown below:
stereochemistry - Why is it important that glucose's third OH group points  to the left? - Chemistry Stack Exchange

Hence, glucose is not an oxidizing agent.


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