What is the difference between reducing and non-reducing sugars?
Answer (1)
- Reducing sugars possess a free aldehyde or ketone group that can be oxidized, allowing them to reduce other substances (like metal ions). All monosaccharides are reducing sugars. Many disaccharides, like maltose and lactose, are also reducing sugars.
- Non-reducing sugars do not have a free aldehyde or ketone group available for oxidation. Sucrose is a common example of a non-reducing sugar because the anomeric carbons of both glucose and fructose are involved in the glycosidic bond.
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