Which of the following substances is a non-reducing sugar?
Answer Details
Sucrose is a non-reducing sugar.
A reducing sugar is a sugar that has a free aldehyde or ketone functional group, which can reduce certain chemicals such as Benedict's solution or Fehling's solution. When a reducing sugar is heated with these chemicals, they are oxidized and reduce the chemical reagent, leading to the formation of a colored precipitate.
Sucrose is a disaccharide composed of glucose and fructose linked by a glycosidic bond. It does not have a free aldehyde or ketone functional group, so it cannot act as a reducing sugar. In contrast, glucose, fructose, and maltose all have a free aldehyde or ketone functional group, so they can act as reducing sugars.
Therefore, among the options given, sucrose is the non-reducing sugar.