Glucose reducing properties

Glucose is also used as the reducing agent in the preparation of organic compounds. Wood sugars have reducing properties that are equivalent to those of products for like purposes from any source. 

Because there is some open-chain glucose present with reducing properties. As this reacts, the equilibria between it and the nonreducing ring forms are disturbed, causing more of the open-chain form to appear. Ultimately, all the glucose will have reacted via the open-chain form. 

This reducing property is used to measure blood sugar in terms of glucose units. If a sample of urea is mixed with Fehling s reagent, a red precipitate is observed. 

In the molecule of sucrose, glucose is present in the a-glucopyranose form and fructose in the y3-fructofuranose form. The two sugars are joined by their two reducing groups and as a result sucrose has no reducing properties. 

Pentosuria, characterised by the excretion of L-xyloketose, which on account of its reducing properties may be mistaken for glucose. 

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