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Mucic Acid Test for Galactose Detection

This document describes several tests used to identify types of sugars: - The mucic acid test is specific for galactose and forms mucic acid (galactaric acid) when galactose is oxidized by nitric acid. - Benedict's test detects reducing sugars by their ability to reduce copper ions under basic conditions, forming a red copper hydroxide precipitate. - Barfoed's test distinguishes monosaccharides from disaccharides by taking advantage of monosaccharides' faster reaction in acidic conditions to reduce copper ions within 5 minutes, forming a brick red precipitate.

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Krizzi Dizon Garcia
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223 views3 pages

Mucic Acid Test for Galactose Detection

This document describes several tests used to identify types of sugars: - The mucic acid test is specific for galactose and forms mucic acid (galactaric acid) when galactose is oxidized by nitric acid. - Benedict's test detects reducing sugars by their ability to reduce copper ions under basic conditions, forming a red copper hydroxide precipitate. - Barfoed's test distinguishes monosaccharides from disaccharides by taking advantage of monosaccharides' faster reaction in acidic conditions to reduce copper ions within 5 minutes, forming a brick red precipitate.

Uploaded by

Krizzi Dizon Garcia
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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  • Mucic Acid Test
  • Benedict’s Test
  • Barfoed’s Test
  • Bial’s Test
  • Seliwanoff’s Test

Mucic acid test

This test is specific for galactose.


Principle
Galactose forms mucic acid in the presence of HNO3. Mucic acid (Galactaric acid) is
formed from galactose due to the oxidation of both aldehyde and primary alcoholic
group at C1 and C6.

Benedict’s Test
detects the presence of reducing sugars. Reducing sugars are those sugars that has free or potentially free
aldehydic or ketonic [Link] Benedict’s reagent is composed of copper sulphate which provides cupric
ions, sodium carbonate that provides an alkaline medium, and sodium citrate that serves as a chelating
agent by preventing the precipitation of cupric ions. This test uses the principle of reduction. The reducing
sugars reduce cupric hydroxide in basic solutions to a red-coloured cuprous hydroxide due to them having
free aldehyde or ketone groups

Barfoed’s
Aldoses and ketoses can reduce cupric ions even in acidic conditions. This test
is used to distinguish reducing monosaccharides from disaccharides by controlling
pH and time of heating. Mono saccharides react very fast whereas disaccharides react
very slowly.
This test can distinguish monosaccharides from di- and polysaccharides because with the
conditions of lower pH and shorter incubation time, only monosaccharides can react fast
enough to reduce copper ions. The reagent is similar to Benedict's except that the pH is
lower (around pH 4.5) and heating time is reduced to 2 minutes. Do not heat longer than 2
minutes. Longer heating may cause hydrolysis of the glycosidic linkage, thus breaking
disaccharides to monosaccharides.
Its reagent contains copper acetate in dilute acetic acid. The copper ions are used to detect the reducing
sugars in an acidic medium provided by the acetic acid. A positive result (compound is monosaccharide)
is indicated by formation of brick red precipitates within 5 minutes. If after 5 minutes there is still no
precipitate, the compound is a disaccharide. The monosaccharide sugars xylose, fructose, glucose, and
galactose produced brick red precipitates after less than 5 minutes as expected while the disaccharides
lactose, maltose, and sucrose did not produce precipitates.

Bial
test is specific for pentoses. Bial’s reagent contains orcinol, HCl, and FeCl3. The orcinol in the reagent
forms colored condensation products with furfural produced by dehydration of pentoses. A positive result
is shown by the appearance of a blue-green color or precipitate within 5 minutes.

Seliwanoff
Seliwanoff’s test is a timed color-reaction specific for ketoses. The principle involves the ketoses
undergoing dehydration in concentrated HCl medium to yield furfural derivatives more quickly than
aldoses. The derivatives, specifically 4-hydroxymethylfurfural react with resorcinol to form cherry-red or
deep red colored compound. Pentoses also react but more slowly compared to ketoses. Fructose and
sucrose produced the cherry red color within 5 minutes therefore they are ketoses.

Mucic acid test This test is specific for galactose. Principle Galactose forms mucic acid in the presence of HNO3. Mucic aci
sugars reduce cupric hydroxide in basic solutions to a red-coloured cuprous hydroxide due to them having free aldehyde or ket

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