Difference Between Reducing Sugar and Non-Reducing Sugar
Main difference
The main difference between reducing sugar and non-reducing sugar is that reducing sugar is the sugar that has the ability to reduce others or oxidize itself while non-reducing sugar is the sugar that has the ability to oxidize itself. others and reduce himself.
Reducing sugar versus non-reducing sugar
Reducing sugar is the type of sugar that has free functional groups like aldehyde group and ketone groups while non-reducing sugar is the type of sugar that does not have free functional groups like aldehyde group and a ketone group. Reducing sugar has the ability to reduce others and oxidize itself, while non-reducing sugars have the ability to oxidize others and reduce itself. Reducing sugars also have the ability to reduce Fehling’s solution and Tollens’ test; on the other hand, non-reducing sugars do not have the ability to reduce Fehling’s solution and Tollens’ test.
Reducing sugar has the ability to reduce cupric ions to cuprous ions in Benedict’s solution, on the contrary, non-reducing sugar does not have the ability to reduce cupric ions to cuprous ions in Benedict’s solution. The absence and presence of reducing sugar can be identified with the help of different types of tests. On the other hand, the absence or presence of non-reducing sugar cannot be identified with the help of any test.
Reducing sugar is usually sweet, while non-reducing sugar is not sweet. Reducing sugar may or may not hydrolyze, while non-reducing sugar may readily hydrolyze. Reducing sugar has a low molecular weight while non-reducing sugar has a high molecular weight.
| reduce sugar | Non-reducing sugar |
| Reducing sugar is the sugar that can reduce others or be oxidized. | Non-reducing sugar is the sugar that can oxidize others and reduce itself. |
| Reducing agent | |
| Best reducing agents | bad reducing agent |
| Chemical properties | |
| They have free ketone or aldehyde group | Does not have any free aldehyde or ketone groups |
| Evidence | |
| Can be identified by testing | Cannot be identified by testing |
| Taste | |
| Sweet taste | Bad taste |
| Hydrolysis | |
| May or may not hydrolyze | can be hydrolyzed |
| Molecular weight | |
| low molecular weight | high molecular weight |
| Solubility | |
| Soluble in water | insoluble in water |
| Example | |
| Monosaccharides and some disaccharides | Some disaccharides and polysaccharides |
What is reducing sugar?
Reducing sugar is the type of sugar that has the ability to reduce others and oxidize in a chemical reaction. Reducing sugar is best known as reducing agents. You can reduce cupric ions to cuprous ions from Fehling and Benedict’s solutions or tests. The reducing sugar can also be recognized by the different types of oxidizing agents.
The reducing agent has good chemical properties. Reducing sugar reducing agents have some free functional groups such as ketone groups or aldehyde groups that are involved in determining the unique properties of the reducing sugar. Reducing sugar has a sweet, sugary, saccharin taste. Reducing sugar cannot always be hydrolyzed.
On hydrolysis, the reducing sugar gives some monosaccharides, such as some disaccharides. The molecular weight of reducing sugar is very low. Reducing sugar is also somewhat soluble in water. All reducing sugars are included in carbohydrates. Reducing sugars are the sugars that can be oxidized even with the help of weekly oxidizing agents.
What is non-reducing sugar?
Non-reducing sugar is the type of sugar that has the ability to oxidize others and reduce itself in a chemical reaction. Non-reducing sugar is the worst known reducing agent. You cannot reduce cupric ions to cuprous ions from Fehling and Benedict’s solutions or tests. It can also be recognized by different types of reducing agents.
Reducing sugar does not have good chemical properties. Non-reducing sugar does not have free functional groups like keto groups and aldehyde groups. These characteristics give non-reducing sugars unique extra characteristics. Non-reducing sugars also do not have any sweet or sugary taste.
Non-reducing sugar can be easily hydrolyzed. By hydrolysis, it produces some monosaccharides and some disaccharides. Non-reducing sugar has a very high molecular weight. It is insoluble in water. All non-reducing sugars are included in carbohydrates. Non-reducing can not be oxidized with the help of weekly oxidizing agents.
Examples of non-reducing sugars are some disaccharides like sucrose and polysaccharides like starch, glycogen, and cellulose, etc.
Key differences
- Reducing sugar has functional groups like aldehyde group and ketone groups while non-reducing sugar does not have any free functional groups like aldehyde group and ketone group.
- Reducing sugar can concentrate others and oxidize itself, while non-reducing sugars can oxidize others and reduce.
- Reducing sugars can also reduce Fehling’s solution and Tollens’ test; on the other hand, non-reducing sugars cannot reduce Fehling’s solution and Tollens’ test.
- Reducing sugar can reduce cupric ions to cuprous ions in Benedict’s solution; conversely, non-reducing sugar cannot reduce cupric ions to cuprous ions in Benedict’s solution.
- The lack and presence of reducing sugar can be identified by different tests; on the other hand, the absence or presence of non-reducing sugar cannot be identified by different tests.
- Reducing sugar tastes sweet, while non-reducing sugar tastes less sweet.
- The reducing sugar may or may not hydrolyze, while the non-reducing sugar may hydrolyze.
- The molecular weight of reducing sugar is very low while the molecular weight of non-reducing sugar is high.
The above discussion concludes that reducing sugar is chemically different from non-reducing sugar. Reducing sugar is the sugar that has free functional groups like aldehyde or keto groups while non-reducing sugar is the sugar that does not have any free functional groups like aldehyde or keto groups.