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Multiple Choice
Which of the following statements about reducing sugars is true?
A
All disaccharides are reducing sugars.
B
Reducing sugars possess a free aldehyde or ketone group capable of acting as a reducing agent.
C
Sucrose is a typical example of a reducing sugar.
D
Reducing sugars cannot react with Benedict's reagent.
Verified step by step guidance
1
Understand the concept of reducing sugars: Reducing sugars are carbohydrates that possess a free aldehyde (-CHO) or ketone (-C=O) group, which allows them to act as reducing agents in chemical reactions.
Analyze the statement 'All disaccharides are reducing sugars': This is incorrect because not all disaccharides have a free aldehyde or ketone group. For example, sucrose is a disaccharide but is not a reducing sugar because its glycosidic bond involves both anomeric carbons, preventing the formation of a free aldehyde or ketone group.
Evaluate the statement 'Reducing sugars possess a free aldehyde or ketone group capable of acting as a reducing agent': This is correct because the presence of a free aldehyde or ketone group allows the sugar to donate electrons in redox reactions, such as reacting with Benedict's reagent.
Examine the statement 'Sucrose is a typical example of a reducing sugar': This is incorrect because sucrose does not have a free aldehyde or ketone group due to its glycosidic bond structure, making it a non-reducing sugar.
Assess the statement 'Reducing sugars cannot react with Benedict's reagent': This is incorrect because reducing sugars can react with Benedict's reagent, resulting in the formation of a precipitate (typically red or orange) due to the reduction of copper(II) ions to copper(I) oxide.