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Ch. 20 - The Organic Chemistry of Carbohydrates
Bruice - Organic Chemistry 8th Edition
Bruice8th EditionOrganic ChemistryISBN: 9780135213711Not the one you use?Change textbook
Chapter 21, Problem 68

An unknown disaccharide gives a positive Tollens' test. A glycosidase hydrolyzes it to D-galactose and D-mannose. When the disaccharide is treated with methyl iodide and Ag2O and then hydrolyzed with dilute HCl, the products are 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-methylgalactose and 2,3,4-tri-O-methylmannose. Propose a structure for the disaccharide.

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Analyze the positive Tollens' test: A positive Tollens' test indicates the presence of a reducing sugar. This means the disaccharide must have a free anomeric carbon (hemiacetal group) in at least one of its monosaccharide units.
Interpret the hydrolysis products: The disaccharide is hydrolyzed by a glycosidase into d-galactose and d-mannose. This suggests that the disaccharide is composed of these two monosaccharides linked by a glycosidic bond.
Examine the methylation results: Treatment with methyl iodide and Ag2O methylates all free hydroxyl groups. Hydrolysis with dilute HCl reveals that d-galactose becomes 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-methylgalactose, meaning all hydroxyl groups on galactose were free and methylated. d-Mannose becomes 2,3,4-tri-O-methylmannose, indicating that the hydroxyl group at the C-1 position of mannose was involved in the glycosidic bond and thus not methylated.
Propose the glycosidic linkage: Since d-galactose has all its hydroxyl groups free and d-mannose has its C-1 hydroxyl group involved in the glycosidic bond, the linkage is likely between the anomeric carbon of d-mannose (C-1) and a hydroxyl group of d-galactose. The specific linkage can be deduced as β(1→4) based on common disaccharide structures.
Propose the structure: The disaccharide is β-d-mannopyranosyl-(1→4)-d-galactopyranose. This structure satisfies the reducing sugar property (free anomeric carbon on galactose), the hydrolysis products, and the methylation results.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Tollens' Test

Tollens' test is a qualitative test used to identify reducing sugars, which can reduce silver ions to metallic silver. A positive result indicates the presence of an aldehyde or a hemiacetal, commonly found in sugars. In the context of disaccharides, this suggests that the compound has a free anomeric carbon capable of acting as a reducing agent.
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Glycosidic Bond and Hydrolysis

A glycosidic bond is a type of covalent bond that links monosaccharides to form disaccharides and polysaccharides. Hydrolysis of this bond, often catalyzed by enzymes like glycosidases, breaks the disaccharide into its constituent monosaccharides. Understanding this process is crucial for determining the structure of the disaccharide based on its hydrolysis products.
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Methylation and Structural Analysis

Methylation is a chemical reaction that introduces methyl groups into a molecule, often used to protect hydroxyl groups in sugars. The products of methylation, such as tetra-O-methylgalactose and tri-O-methylmannose, provide insights into the original structure of the disaccharide. Analyzing these products helps deduce the arrangement of the sugar units and the type of glycosidic linkage present.
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Related Practice
Textbook Question

Trehalose, C12H22O11, is a nonreducing sugar that is only 45% as sweet as sugar. When hydrolyzed by aqueous acid or the enzyme maltase, it forms only D-glucose. When it is treated with excess methyl iodide in the presence of Ag2O and then hydrolyzed with water under acidic conditions, only 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-methyl-d-glucose is formed. Draw the structure of trehalose.

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Textbook Question

The specific rotation of α-D-galactose is 150.7 and that of β-D-galactose is 52.8. When an aqueous mixture that was initially 70% α-D-galactose and 30% β-D-galactose reaches equilibrium, the specific rotation is 80.2. What is the percentage of α-D-galactose and β-D galactose at equilibrium?

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Textbook Question

Predict whether D-altrose exists preferentially as a pyranose or a furanose. (Hint: In the most stable arrangement for a five-membered ring, all the adjacent substituents are trans.)

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Textbook Question

Propose a mechanism for the rearrangement that converts an ⍺-hydroxyimine to an ⍺-aminoketone in the presence of a trace amount of acid.

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Textbook Question

Draw the mechanism for the elimination step in the Wohl degredation.

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Textbook Question

Calculate the percentages of α\(\alpha\)-D-glucose and β\(\beta\)-D-glucose present at equilibrium from the specific rotations of α\(\alpha\)-D-glucose, β\(\beta\)-D-glucose, and the equilibrium mixture. Compare your values with those given in Section 20.10. (Hint: The specific rotation of the mixture equals the specific rotation of α\(\alpha\)-D-glucose times the fraction of glucose present in the a-form plus the specific rotation of β\(\beta\)-D-glucose times the fraction of glucose present in the β\(\beta\) -form.)

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