Question

What is mannitol?

• A. Amino acid
• B. Amino alcohol
• C. Sugar alcohol
• D. Sugar acid

Answer 1

Answer: (C)

Sugar alcohol

Amino acid is an organic compound with one amino and one carboxyl group. Organic molecules with both amino and alcohol functional groups are termed as amino alcohols. This makes options A and B incorrect as mannitol is a sugar derivative.

Monosaccharides with carboxyl group are termed as sugar acids and are obtained by oxidation of sugars. Reduction of both ketoses and aldoses into their corresponding polyhydroxy alcohols obtains sugar alcohols. Reduction of D-mannose obtains mannitol which is a sugar alcohol. This makes option C incorrect.

Therefore, the correct answer is option C.