Use this following information to answer this question. Compound X was boiled with concentrated hydrochloric acid for a long time. One of the products was f...

Use this following information to answer this question. Compound X was boiled with concentrated hydrochloric acid for a long time. One of the products was found to be a sugar. Compound X was probably

Answer Details

The fact that a sugar was produced by boiling Compound X with concentrated hydrochloric acid suggests that Compound X was likely a carbohydrate, specifically a type of polysaccharide such as cellulose. When polysaccharides undergo hydrolysis (a reaction with water), they are broken down into their constituent monosaccharides (simple sugars) by the addition of water molecules. Therefore, the production of a sugar as a product of the reaction between Compound X and hydrochloric acid suggests that the reaction involved hydrolysis of the polysaccharide. The other compounds listed (rubber, polyethylene, nylon, and ethanol) are not polysaccharides and would not be expected to produce a sugar upon hydrolysis.