Sucrose chemistry compounds

Three surveys on the chemistry of sucrose have appeared during the past five years.1-3 Nevertheless, as progress in this field has been rapid, a further article on this subject is now justified. In this Chapter, an attempt has been made to collate information on the reactions of sucrose, and to illustrate some of the physical methods that have contributed to the characterization of sucrose derivatives. In addition, some of the potential commercial applications of compounds derived from sucrose have been considered briefly. 

Sucrochemistry is already more than 50 years old, and has become a field of carbohydrate chemistry on its own. Indeed, considerable progress has been achieved in the monitoring of the chemical reactivity of sucrose, with the efforts of many research teams who have built on the steps of a few pioneers. Many sucrose derivatives can now be prepared, and sophisticated synthons as well as simple substituted compounds have been reported. However, only a few examples have yet reached the level of the industrial development, and these are mainly in the field of food and cosmetic additives and surfactants. Various polymers, additives for materials, and some chemical intermediates have also been produced. Bioconversions are certainly a major avenue for using sucrose as a starting material, and ethanol production will increase as a consequence of high oil prices. Current awareness of the shortage of fossil resources emphasizes the potential for chemical transformations of sucrose in providing new uses of this abundant natural resource. 

Invertase (EC 3.2.1.26) catalyzes the hydrolysis of P-fructofuranosides and has been used in analytical chemistry (biosensors), in confectionary, and in the production of inverted syrup (1). Invert sugar syrup, which can be obtained by acid or enzymatic hydrolysis of sucrose, is a valuable commercial product especially in countries where the main sources of sugar are beet or cane. With acid hydrolysis, the final syrup is often contaminated with colored oxidation compounds, which arise from cyclization of hex-oses at low pH and high temperatures (2-4). Such a problem does not occur... 

The carboxylic acids derived from sucrose may find some use in pharmaceutical and agricultural chemistry. The uronic and 2-keto-aldonic acids obtained by hydrolysis of these compounds represent a great industrial... 

The isotope dilution technique has been employed for Ihe determination of about thirty elements in a variety of matrix materials, Isotopic dilution procedures have also been most widely used for the determination of compounds of interest in organic chemistry and biochemistry, Thus, methods have been developed for the determination of such diverse substances as vitamin D, vitamin B12, sucrose, insulin, penicillin, various amino acids, corticosterone, various alcohols, and thyroxine. Isotope dilution analysis has experienced less widespread application since the advent of activation methods. Continued use of the procedure can be expected, however, because of the relative simplicity of the equipment required. In addition, isotope dilution is often applicable where activation analysis is not. 

Food chemistry includes much larger-scale items than flavours. Sweeteners such as sugar itself are isolated from plants on an enormous scale. You saw sucrose on p. 3, but other sweeteners such as saccharin (discovered in 1879 ) and aspartame (1965) are made on a sizeable scale. Aspartame is a compound of two of the natural amino acids present in all living things and over 10,000 tonnes per armum are made by the NutraSweet company. 

Due to their ease of isolation and purification, sucrose, lactose (milk sugar), starch, cotton cellulose, glucose, and fructose were among the first to be studied, and their empirical composition was found to correspond to the general formula Cn(H20). Since structural chemistry and the existence of hydroxyl groups and hydrogen as structural elements was unknown at the time, the substances were looked upon quite naturally as compounds of carbon and water, and were termed carbohydrates (French, hydrates de carbone). 

The selective en matic acylation and deacylation of carbohydrates and related compounds have been reviewed. In another, extensive review on the chemistry of acetic formic anhydride, several examples of its application to the preparation of carbohydrate formates are given. A further review, in Czech, entitled "The Chemistry of Sucrose", which contains material relevant to this Chapter, is referred to in Chapter 3. 

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