ifsonotso_100
Meh
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- Jan 26, 2005
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- 2004
if the question was "describe the chemical difference between reducing and non-reducing" how would you answer it. and also the prac that you did.
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Go the Conquering Chem ay?azza_3761 said:To determine whether a sugar is a reducing or non-reducing, we use a reagent that can oxidise a -CHO group (also known as an aldehyde group) or a –CO-CH2OH group but will oxidise the many ordinary alcohol groups present in all sugars. Three regents are available:
1. Tollens’ reagent, a colourless solution of silver nitrate in aqueous ammonia
2. Benedict’s solution, a deep blue solution of copper sulfate in alkaline citrate
3. Fehling’s solution, a deep blue solution of copper sulfate in alkaline tartrate
Since the cations in the three solutions usually precipitate out of alkaline solutions the Ag+ and the Cu+2 ions are presented as complex ions. When a colourless solution of a reducing sugar is warmed with colourless Tollens’ reagent, metallic silver is formed, depending on the conditions, it may appear as a black precipitate of finely divided metal or as a shiny mirror on the walls of a very clean test tube.
E.g. R-CHO + 2Ag+ + 3OH- --> 2 Ag(s) + R-COO- + 2H2O
R-CO-CH2OH + 2Ag+ + 3OH- --> 2 Ag(s) + R-CHOH-COO- + 2H2O
When a solution of a reducing sugar is warmed with either deep blue Benedict’s or Fehling’s solutions, a reddish-brown precipitate of copper (I) oxide is formed. Cu+2 is reduced to Cu+.
Eg. R-CHO + 2Cu+2 + 5OH- --> Cu2O(s) + R-COO- + 3H2O
R-CO-CH2OH + 2Cu+2 + 5OH- --> Cu2O(s) + R-CHOH-COO- + 3H2O