Tag: Fehling s solution

In biochemistry, a sugar's ability to act as a reducing agent is a fundamental property, with over 1% of the monomers in aqueous solutions existing in their reactive open-chain form. Glyceraldehyde, a simple three-carbon monosaccharide, is a classic example of a reducing sugar due to its chemical structure. This article explores why glyceraldehyde exhibits these properties and the chemical basis for its classification.

Sucrose, the common table sugar, is classified as a non-reducing sugar, a fact that dictates its chemical behavior. When subjected to a standard Fehling's test, a solution containing only sucrose will not reduce the reagent and will yield a negative result. This outcome is a fundamental principle used to distinguish between different types of sugars in chemistry.