The difference between an aldose sugar and a ketose sugar is ________. A) the number of carbon atoms B) the position of the hydroxyl groups C) the position of the carbonyl group D) the ring form and the linear chain
The difference between an aldose sugar and a ketose sugar is ________.A) the number of carbon atoms B) the position of the hydroxyl groups C) the position of the carbonyl group D) the ring form and the linear chain
The Correct Answer and Explanation is :
The correct answer is C) the position of the carbonyl group.
Explanation:
Aldose sugars and ketose sugars are both monosaccharides, which are simple sugars that consist of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms. The key difference between aldose and ketose sugars lies in the position of the carbonyl group (C=O).
- Aldose Sugars:
- In aldoses, the carbonyl group is located at the end of the carbon chain, which forms an aldehyde group (-CHO). Aldoses have the general structure of having the carbonyl group on the first carbon atom. For example, glucose is an aldose sugar because it contains an aldehyde group at the top of the molecule.
- Ketose Sugars:
- In ketoses, the carbonyl group is located at any position except the end of the carbon chain, typically at the second carbon atom, which forms a ketone group (C=O). For example, fructose is a ketose sugar because it contains a ketone group at the second carbon atom in the molecule.
Other Answer Choices:
- A) The number of carbon atoms: While aldose and ketose sugars can both have various numbers of carbon atoms (e.g., glucose has 6 carbon atoms, fructose also has 6), this is not the defining difference.
- B) The position of the hydroxyl groups: The position of hydroxyl groups (-OH) can vary within both aldose and ketose sugars, but this is not the primary difference between the two classes.
- D) The ring form and the linear chain: Both aldose and ketose sugars can cyclize into ring forms (such as pyranose or furanose), and they can also exist in linear chains. This is more about the structural form they take after certain reactions, not a distinguishing feature between aldoses and ketoses.
To summarize, the main distinction between aldoses and ketoses is the position of the carbonyl group (either at the end of the chain in aldoses or at a middle position in ketoses).
I will now generate an image to visually depict the difference between an aldose and a ketose sugar.
Here is the diagram comparing aldose and ketose sugars, showing the difference in the position of the carbonyl group. As you can see, the aldose sugar (glucose) has the carbonyl group at the end of the chain, while the ketose sugar (fructose) has it in the middle of the chain. This highlights the primary structural distinction between aldoses and ketoses.