Why glucose molecules remain same when added in water?
Answers
Glucose is a simple carbohydrate, which means it contains carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. Sugars like glucose (C6H12O6) with six carbon atoms are referred to as hexoses, and it has one sugar unit so it is a monosaccharide. Its name comes from the Greek glykos, which means 'sweet'.
In 1888 one of the world's most important chemists, Emil Fischer, discovered the three sugars, glucose, fructose and mannose. By 1890 he was the first chemist to synthesize all three of these sugars starting from glycerol. He was awarded the 1902 Nobel prize in Chemistry.
Fischer also confirmed the van't Hoff theory, namely the theory of the asymmetric carbon atom. A-level students will be familiar with the concept of a chiral {asymmetric} carbon atom, often indicated with an asterisk. Chiral carbons have four different groups bonded to them. It is quite remarkable that he also correctly predicted the 3D arrangements of glucose with its several chiral carbons.
•It does not react with water because it does not contain any sort of ions.