Chapter 4.SE, Problem 26VC

Interpretation Introduction

Interpretation:

The difference between alpha and beta glucose is to be found out.

Concept introduction:

Glucose can form either five-membered or six-membered rings. The six-membered ring is much more common, and in solution the vast majority of glucose molecules are found to have six-membered rings.

Each molecule of glucose has a carbon backbone with -OH groups and hydrogen atoms attached to it. At the top of the chain, an oxygen atom is double-bonded to a carbon atom; collectively, these two atoms are called a carbonyl group. The carbon backbone of the glucose molecule can coil up so that an -OH group near the bottom end of the chain attacks the carbonyl carbon and the glucose molecule forms a ring. This ring-shaped structure is the cyclic form of glucose, while the straight chain structure is the linear form.