ChemLab204: General and Inorganic Chemistry

Group No.

Laboratory Report

66

Date Submitted: February 9, 2016

Date

Carbohydrates Part I:
Common Reactions
Activity No. 8

Marice Abigail J. Marquez

ID No. 150486; BSN-I
ChemLab204A; 2nd Semester, SY 2015-16

RATIONALE
Carbohydrates are one of the three principal classes of foods (carbohydrates, fats, and
proteins). They can be classified according to the complexity of their molecules which
are the monosaccharide, disaccharide, and polysaccharide. A monosaccharide is a
carbohydrate that cannot be hydrolyzed to simpler carbohydrate units. A disaccharide
yields two monosaccharides either alike or different when hydrolyzed. A polysaccharide
is a macromolecular substance that can be hydrolyzed to yield many monosaccharide
units. Carbohydrates have central roles in such vital processes as photosynthesis and
metabolism. The simplest carbohydrates are glyceraldehydes and dihydroxyacetone.
In this activity on carbohydrates will involve two reactions which are the common
reaction and specific reactions. In common reactions there are eight tests to be
performed. And in this activity it is going to determine what would be the positive
indications for every test. The molisch test is the most general test for carbohydrates.
Although this test is not specific for carbohydrates, a negative result is good evidence of
the absence of carbohydrates. And the following tests are the action of alkali, the
reduction test which have six tests these are Fehlings test, Benedicts test, Barfoeds test,
Nylanders test, Picric acid test, and Tollens test are the test to be performed.

DATA INTERPRETATION
Molisch test is a general test for all carbohydrates. It detects the presence of a
carbohydrate in a given solution. The positive indication for this test is the presence of
carbohydrates and produces a violet product at the junction of the 2 liquids. Compounds
that are dehydrated by concentrated sulfuric acid to form furfural or
hydroxymethylfurfural will react with -naphthol (in the molisch reagent) to yield a
purple condensation product. The reagent used was molisch reagent this reagent consist
of -naphthol that dissolved in ethanol. The monosaccharide gives a rapid positive result
while disaccharides and polysaccharides react slower. The solutions used was 1%
glucose, 1% xylose, 1% lactose, 1% sucrose, 1% starch, 1% furfural and unknown sugar.
Glucose is the most important of the monosaccharides. It is an aldohexose and is found
in the Free State in plant and animal tissue. Glucose is commonly known as dextrose, or
grape sugar. It is a component of the disaccharides sucrose, maltose, and lactose, and is
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Natural Sciences Department, College of Science and Information Technology, Ateneo de Zamboanga
University

also the monomer of the polysaccharides starch, cellulose, and glycogen. Xylose is
classified as monosaccharide and a sugar that is isolated from woods. Lactose is a
disaccharide sugar derived from galactose and glucose that is found in milk. Sucrose is a
nonreducing disaccharide composed of glucose and fructose. Starch is not a pure
substance. The term refers to a group of polysaccharides found in plants. Glucose, xylose,
lactose and the unknown sugar are the only sugars that have the presence of
carbohydrates because it has a violet product at the junction of the 2 liquids while
sucrose and starch doesnt have the presence of carbohydrates and no purple product at
the junction of the 2 liquids.

Chemical Equation:

A. Molisch Test
Test Solutions

Result

1% Glucose

Violet color between two layers.

1% Xylose

Violet color between two layers.

1% Lactose

Violet color between two layers.

1% Sucrose

No violet color

1% Starch

No violet color

1% Furfural
Unknown Sugar

Violet color between two layers.

DATA INTERPRETATION
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Natural Sciences Department, College of Science and Information Technology, Ateneo de Zamboanga
University

B. Action of Alkali
Alkali

Test Solutions

10% NaOH

1% Glucose

Result

1% Fructose
1% Galactose
1% Ba(OH)2

1% Glucose
1% Fructose
1% Galactose

DATA INTERPRETATION
A reducing sugar is one that can be oxidized. In order to be a reducing sugar, the
molecule must contain a free anomeric carbon, since it is the open-chain form of the
aldehyde that is able to react and be oxidized. Fehlings test is a test for reducing sugars.
Fehlings reagent which contains Cu2+ ions in an aqueous basic solution if a reducing
agent is present, the Cu2+ is reduced to Cu+ and forms a red precipitate of Cu2O.
Therefore, if Fehlings solution is added to a solution containing a reducing sugar, a brick
red precipitate will form. Both glucose and fructose are examples of monosaccharides,
simple sugars that cant be broken into smaller molecules by hydrolysis with aqueous
acids. Two monosaccharide units can be linked together by a condensation reaction to
form a disaccharide. The structures of three common disaccharides- sucrose (table
sugar), maltose (malt sugar), and lactose (milk sugar). Glucose, xylose, fructose, and
unknown gives a positive result therefore reducing sugars are present. Lactose, maltose,
sucrose and starch have no change at all.

C. Reduction Test
Name of Test

Test Solutions

Results

Fehling's Test

1% Glucose

Brick Red Precipitate

1% Xylose

Brick Red Precipitate

1% Fructose

Brick Red Precipitate

1% Lactose

Blue Solution

1% Maltose

Blue Solution

1% Sucrose

Blue Solution

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Natural Sciences Department, College of Science and Information Technology, Ateneo de Zamboanga
University

1% Starch

Blue Solution

1% Glycogen

Blue Solution

Unknown

Brick Red Precipitate

DATA INTERPRETATION
The purpose of Benedicts test is to detect the presence of reducing sugars it is performed
under mildly alkaline conditions and is very sensitive test. This test is the formation of
an insoluble cuprous oxide precipitate that serves as a criterion of a positive reaction.
The color of the precipitate may vary from green to yellow to brick red because of the
varying sizes of the precipitated particles and their differing absorption of visible light.
The brick red precipitate is due to the reduction of the cupric (Cu2+) ions in Benedict's
reagent to cuprous form (Cu1+) by reducing sugars, forming cuprous oxide (Cu2O). This
test is by no means specific for reducing sugars, because this test is a specific test for
reducing carbohydrates. Glucose, xylose, fructose, and lactose give a positive result
because all monosaccharides and disaccharides give positive result except sucrose,
because sucrose is a non-reducing sugar. Only sucrose and starch got a negative result.

Name of Test

Test Solutions

Results

Benedict's Test

1% Glucose

Brick red precipitate

1% Xylose

Brick red precipitate

1% Fructose

Brick red precipitate

1% Lactose

Brick red precipitate

1% Sucrose

No Change

1% Starch

No Change

DATA INTERPRETATION
Barfoeds test is similar to Fehlings test, except that in Barfoeds test different types of
sugars react at different rates. Barfoeds reagent is much milder than Fehlings reagent.
Reducing monosaccharides react quickly with Barfoeds reagent, but reducing
disaccharides react very slowly or not at all. Therefore, it is possible to distinguish
between a reducing monosaccharide and a reducing disaccharide using Barfoeds
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Natural Sciences Department, College of Science and Information Technology, Ateneo de Zamboanga
University

reagent. A positive test is a brick red precipitate and is evidence of a reducing

monosaccharide. The barfoeds reagent which contains cupric acetate in dilute acetic
acid is used to distinguish reducing monosaccharides from reducing disaccharides.
Under the same reaction conditions the reagent is reduced more rapidly by
monosaccharides. This test differs from benedicts test in that the oxidation-reduction
reaction is carried out in an acidic rather than a basic solution. Within the same time
interval only monosaccharides will reduce the cupric ion in the reagent. The reaction
time is determined by the rate of formation of cuprous oxide. Monosaccharides,
presumably because they are smaller molecules, have the greater reactivity. If heating is
prolonged, the disaccharides may be hydrolyzed by the acid and the resulting
monosaccharides will give a positive test. The concentrations of the sugar solutions used
in this test should be approximately the same because a more concentrated disaccharide
solution will reduce the cupric ions faster than a dilute monosaccharide solution.
Glucose, fructose, xylose and unknown sugar are a reducing monosaccharide because it
gives a brick red precipitate and has the evidence of reducing monosaccharide. It also
reacts quickly unlike disaccharides that react very slow or not at all. Lactose, maltose,
and sucrose are reducing disaccharides because it didnt change its color it remains blue
solution.

Name of Test

Test Solutions

Results

Barfoed's Test

1% Glucose

Brick Red Precipitate

1% Fructose

Brick Red Precipitate

1% Xylose

Brick Red Precipitate

1% Lactose

No Change

1% Maltose

No Change

1% Sucrose

No Change

Unknown Sugar

Brick Red Precipitate

DATA INTERPRETATION
The purpose of nylanders test is to detect the presence of reducing sugars. If a black
precipitate of metallic bismuth is produced, that means the reducing sugars are present.
The solutions used was glucose, fructose, xylose, lactose, and maltose when it was added

________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Natural Sciences Department, College of Science and Information Technology, Ateneo de Zamboanga
University

with nylanders solution all of them produced a black precipitate that means the
reducing sugars are present.

Name of Test

Test Solutions

Results

Nylander's Test

1% Glucose

Black precipitate

1% Fructose

Black precipitate

1% Xylose

Black precipitate

1% Lactose

Black precipitate

1% Maltose

Black precipitate

DATA INTERPRETATION
Picric Acid test is another test for the detection of reducing sugars. The reducing sugars
react with Picric Acid to form a red colored Picramic Acid (mahogany red solution) that
indicates the positive result. As shown on the table, all sugars yielded mahogany red
solution. Therefore, glucose, fructose, xylose, lactose, and maltose are reducing sugars.

Name of Test

Test Solutions

Results

Picric Acid Test

1% Glucose

Mahogany Red

1% Fructose

Mahogany Red

1% Xylose

Mahogany Red

1% Lactose

Mahogany Red

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Natural Sciences Department, College of Science and Information Technology, Ateneo de Zamboanga
University

1% Maltose

Mahogany Red

DATA INTERPRETATION
Tollens test, also known as silver-mirror test, is a qualitative laboratory test used to
distinguish between an aldehyde and a ketone. This test is to detect the presence of
aldehyde that is readily oxidized while ketones do not. The reagent used was tollens
reagent which is a colorless aqueous solution containing silver ions coordinated to
ammonia. When glucose was added with tollens reagent the product that has produced
was a gray color therefore the result was positive.

Name of Test

Test Solutions

Results

Tollen's Test

1% Glucose

Gray

Classification of Unknown:_____________________________________

ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS
1. Why do all sugars give a positive result for Molischs Test?
- Molisch's test detects the presence of carbohydrates and glycoproteins. It gives
positive result because sugars undergo dehydration. Dehydration is process
which results in production of furfural in the presence of sulphuric acid.
2. What compounds other than -naphthol can be used as a reagent for the test?
- Aside from -naphthol, resorcinol and thymol can also be used as a reagent
which gives red or purple colored compound.
3. Why is it important to use freshly prepared Fehlings reagent?
- Its because the solution will undergo oxidation, it would not be effective if not
fresh reagent used for this test.
4. Compare the action of a strong and a weak alkali on a reducing sugar.
- The action of a strong alkali is called polymerization. Polymerization is a
process of two or more molecules combine to form larger molecules. While the
weak alkali is called isomerization. Isomerization is the process in which one
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Natural Sciences Department, College of Science and Information Technology, Ateneo de Zamboanga
University

molecule transform to another molecule with exact the same atoms but
different arrangement.
5. How are the conditions for Barfoeds test different from those for Benedicts test?
- Barfoed's test detects monosaccharides by reduction reaction that precipitates
copper oxide while Benedict's reagent detects reducing sugars by producing
the same precipitate. The only different is the volume of precipitate. Benedicts
produces more volume of precipitate and can vary in color depending on the
amount of sugar that is present.
6. Account for the black precipitate in Nylanders test.
-

CONCLUSION
Carbohydrates vary dramatically in their properties one of the principal differences
between various types of carbohydrates is the size of the molecules. The
monosaccharides often called simple sugars are the simplest carbohydrate units. They
cannot be hydrolyzed to smaller carbohydrate molecules. A disaccharide yields two
monosaccharides either alike or different when hydrolyzed. A polysaccharide is a
macromolecular substance that can be hydrolyzed to yield many monosaccharide units.
In the molisch test monosaccharide gives a rapid positive result that is the violet product
at the junction of the 2 liquids while disaccharides and polysaccharides react slower or
not at all. In the reduction test for sugars the reducing sugars are those that can be
oxidized by mild oxidizing agents and the oxidizing agent is reduced in the reaction. A
non-reducing sugar are those that not oxidized by mild oxidizing agents.

REFERENCE
1. Stuart J. Baum, William R. Bowen, Susan R. Poulter, & Reuben L. Baumgarten.
Laboratory exercises in organic and biological chemistry (third edition).
2. Hein, Best, Pattison. College chemistry: An introduction to general, organic, and
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biochemistry (third edition).

Brown, Lemay, Bursten. Chemistry the central science (sixth edition).
John Mcmurry. Organic Chemistry
http://www.laney.edu/wp/cheli-fossum/files/2012/01/11-Carbohydrates.pdf
http://www.scribd.com/doc/51307444/Reactions-of-carbohydrates#scribd
http://www.khalidshadid.com/uploads/3/9/2/0/3920808/carbohydrates_main.pdf
https://books.google.com.ph/books?
id=xCInTV1M4N0C&pg=PA14&lpg=PA14&dq=why+does+nylanders+test+form+bla
ck+precipitate&source=bl&ots=Dxij2VoVZf&sig=XyAOfM0RS5qXarajwehJlnMcb8w

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Natural Sciences Department, College of Science and Information Technology, Ateneo de Zamboanga
University

&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiNiO3B-XKAhVB4KYKHeQ6D8cQ6AEIPjAF#v=onepage&q=why%20does%20nylanders
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9. Fessenden & Fessenden. Organic Chemistry (third edition).

________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Natural Sciences Department, College of Science and Information Technology, Ateneo de Zamboanga
University