3 Physical Properties of Glucose and Fructose

Both glucose and fructose are whitish in color, have similar densities,
and are highly soluble in water and less so in alcohol. One of the most
important physical properties of these hexoses is their ability to
rotate polarized light. Indeed, this optical activity is responsible for the
alternative names for these sugars: dextrose in the case of glucose
(from dextrorotatory, which means capable of rotating light to the right)
and levulose for fructose (from levorotatory, which means capable of
rotating light to the left). The ability of glucose and fructose to rotate
the plane of polarized light is important as it means that the
concentration or proportion of these sugars in a given substance can
be determined by polarimetry.
Main Characteristics of Glucose
Glucose is an aldohexose that crystallizes in an anhydrous form in absolute alcohol and
has a density of 1.52 g/mL.
It is highly soluble in water and alcohol.
It hydrates easily and loses this water slowly when heated to 100°C.
Anhydrous glucose melts slowly at a temperature of 146°C.
Main Characteristics of Fructose
Fructose is a ketohexose that exists as a crystalline powder with a density of 1.55 g/mL.
It is highly soluble in water and fairly soluble in hot absolute alcohol.
It has a melting point of 45°C.
3.1 Optical Rotatory Power
Specific optical rotatory power refers to the angle of rotation (which varies from one sugar to the
next), measured at 20°C using a polarimeter with a 1-dm path, produced by a solution containing
1 g/mL of sugar at the characteristic spectral line of sodium, known as the D line. It is expressed
by [α]D20.
Å[α]D20=α×100l×CT=20°CD≈5893undefinedÅ(yellowsodiumlight)
α: observed rotation (in degrees)
l: length of polarimeter tube (in dm)
C: concentration (in g/100 mL)
Because α is, logically, temperature dependent, these values are tabulated for different
compounds at a standard temperature. For example, at 20°C and using a 20-cm polarimeter tube,
a 1 g/L solution of glucose and fructose will cause a rotation of +0.1047° and −0.1824°,
respectively. Applying the above formula:
Glucose[α]D20=0.1047×1002×0.1=52.4°
Fructose[α]D20=−0.1824×1002×0.1=-91.2°
Typically, the concentration of a solute is calculated by measuring the rotation angle [α] of this
solute at 20°C, h