Ma. Crisandra Joyce G.

Herrera
1NUR4

Pre‐Lab Sheet
Carbohydrates
Study Questions:

1. Complete the table below:

Test Reagents Principle Visible Result Carbohydrate/s

Involved Detected
Molisch Concentrated Upon adding the Positive Result: Almost all
H2SO4 reagents of Molisch’s Purple Ring carbohydrates
alpha naphthol Test which is the
in 95% ethanol concentrated H2SO4
carbohydrates gets
dehydrated and
forms furfural and
its derivatives.
Fehling’s Aqueous CuSO4 Test for reducing Positive Result: Sugars that are
KOH sugars Reddish Brown aldehydes or
Potassium Adding sugar that is Precipitate ketones
Sodium Tartrate classified as part of
aldehyde group is Negative Result:
oxidized by Fehling’s Blue
test reagents which
results to formation
of acid.
Benedict’s CuSO4 Test for Positive Result: Carbohydrates that
Sodium carbohydrates that Traceable-Green are reducing
Carbonate has the properties of Low-Yellow sugars that hold
Sodium Citrate reducing sugars are Moderate- free aldehyde or
heated along with Orange-red color ketone functional
Benedict’s reagents Negative Result: group.
will convert into Blue
enediols (strong
reducing agent)
Barfoed’s Acetic Acid Differentiate Positive Result: Reducing
Copper (II) monosaccharides Brick-red Monosaccharides
Acetate from reducing
disaccharides
Seliwanoff’s Resorcinol Used to distinguish Positive Result: Sugars with ketone
Hydrochloric aldoses from ketoses. Cherry Red
Acid Carbohydrates that Colored Complex
are classified as
ketoses will undergo
dehydration faster
than aldoses.
Bial’s Orcinol Hydrochloric When pentose are Positive Result: Pentoses
Acid dehydrated it will Blue-green
 Orcinol form furfurals Colored complex
Ferric Chloride condensed with
orcinol along with
the presence of ferric
ion.
Used to distinguish
pentoses from
hexoses
Mucic Acid Concentrated Adding nitric acid Positive Result: Galactose
Nitric Acid heated with Crystallization Lactose
monosaccharide will
give a saccharic acid Negative Result:
(dicarboxylic acid) Absence of
Crystallization
Iodine Lugol’s Iodine: Distinguish Positive Result: Starch
5% elemental monosaccharides, Blue/Black
iodine is mixed disaccharides, and Colored Complex
with 10% polysaccharides.
potassium In the addition of Negative Result:
iodide heat and alkali in the No Change or
solution will cause Yellowish
the color to
disappear

2.
Benedict's and Fehling's solutions are both different tests for carbohydrates but there
are some things that they’re similar. Benedict’s and Fehling’s Test are different in terms
of their:

Benedict’s Test Fehling’s Test

The Solution contains carbonate, citrate, The oxidizing agents used in Fehling's
and sulfate that are responsible for red solution includes Rochelle salt and
precipitate reaction after heating the copper sulfate.
solution with reducing sugars.

Copper (II) citrate is the Active copper (II) tartrate is the Active
component component

Available as Ready-to-use-reagent Has to be prepared first.

Stable Unstable

Need to boil for 2 minutes Need to be heated to 60°C for few minutes

However, despite these differences there’s also similarities between these two tests.
Benedict’s and Fehling’s Test

solutions (both are colored blue)

 needs heat to catalyze a reaction

used for distinguishing aldehydes and reducing sugars in a solution.

3.

Sucrose has the properties of non-reducing sugar because it’s acetal link are composed
of glucose (hemiacetal
group) and fructose (hemiketal group). Even though some of the disaccharides are
reducing sugar, sucrose isn’t one of them because it is a type of sugar that is bounded by
both oxide linkages and glycosidic linkages which results in having no free carbonyl
group and it can’t be reduced to form an open structure.

4.
Due to its fast production of carboxylic acid by copper ions, the heating time in the
Barfoed's test is only restricted to a few minutes. If the duration period is extended
beyond what is required, the mixture will dissolve, the copper ions will then lose their
electrons, and causing the test to fail or yield an inaccurate result.

5.
Kidneys are expected to reabsorb the remaining glucose in the body, therefore there
should not be glucose present in the urine. However, there are cases that glucose are
present in patient’s urine called Glucosuria, it may indicate that a patient may have
abnormalities in kidney, diabetes, or just pregnant.

6.
Galactose after being heated with nitric acid, becomes saccharic acid. That is why Mucic’s
Test is specifically used to detect the presence of galactose in a solution. The oxidation
of aldehyde and alcoholic functional groups of C1 and C6 from galactose results in the
formation of mucic acid. After Saccharic Acid is formed, it will be insoluble in cold water
(crystals) which results in identification of galactose in a solution.
7.

Similarities of Molisch’s Test, Bial’s Test, Seliwanoff’s Test

Tests to detect the presence of glucose.

Condensation and Dehydration reaction is needed to perceive a

result.
Positive result will yield a furfural after adding acid in the
solution.