Q45 of 71 Page 209

Sucrose is dextrorotatory but the mixture obtained after hydrolysis is laevorotatory. Explain.

Aqueous solution of sucrose is dextrorotatory and rotates plane polarized light entering the solution 66.5° to the right. When sucrose is hydrolysed with dilute acids or invertase enzyme, it gives two products in equimolar concentration, dextrorotatory D-(+)-glucose and laevorotatory D-(-)-fructose. The laevorotation of fructose (–92.4°) is more than dextrorotation of glucose (+ 52.5°), the resulting equimolar mixture of the products is laevorotatory with resulting rotation of -39.9°. Thus, hydrolysis of sucrose brings about a change in the sign of rotation, from dextro (+) to laevo (–). Thus the hydrolysed mixture is laevorotatory.


More from this chapter

All 71 →