Sugar Formula

Sugar Formula

Sugar is widely used for numerous purposes and holds significance in the majority of households, factories, industries, etc. It is an important topic to be aware of, hence we will learn the know-how of the Sugar Formula.

What Is Sugar?

Sugar generally refers to sucrose, which is obtained primarily from sugar cane. In addition to sucrose, other sugars include invert sugar (a sucrose molecule in which the disaccharide bond has been split), crystalline fructose, and glucose. 

“Simple sugars” contain one saccharide (monosaccharides). They may be threaded together into linear chains of two or more saccharides like the branches of a tree. The number of monosaccharides hooked together indicates the degree of polymerization. Chains of three to nine monosaccharides are called oligosaccharides and more than nine are called polysaccharides.

Saccharides

Sugar is the simplest carbohydrate that has a sweet taste. Carbohydrates can be classified into different types based on the number of saccharides that are given during hydrolysis. 

1. First is a monosaccharide which is a simple sugar that cannot be further hydrolyzed. This includes glucose, fructose, and galactose. The monosaccharide is linked to each other by glycosidic bonds.  

2. The second is oligosaccharides. Oligosaccharide is a type of carbohydrate that on hydrolysis gives two to ten monosaccharides. These oligosaccharides can be further classified based on the number of monosaccharides that it gives on hydrolysis like disaccharides, trisaccharides, etc. 

3. Polysaccharides are those saccharides that consist of a large number of monosaccharides. Glucose consists of six carbon atoms, twelve hydrogen atoms, and six oxygen atoms.

Chemical Formula of Sugar

The sugar formula consists of the C (i.e., carbon), H (i.e., hydrogen), and O (i.e., Oxygen) atoms. The General Chemical formula of sugar is C_n H_2n O_n where “n” refers to the number of atoms of that element present in the carbohydrate. The range of “n” lies between 3 to 7. Sugar is also called cane sugar (sucrose) which is composed of 12 carbon atoms, 22 hydrogen atoms, and 11 oxygen atoms. So, the chemical formula of table sugar (or sucrose) is C₁₂ H₂₂ O₁₁. Also, the chemical formula of glucose (or monosaccharides) is  C₆ H₁₂ O₆.

Solved Examples

1. Fructose Formula

Fructose is composed of five hydroxyl groups and one carbonyl group with a cyclic structure. It is an isomer of glucose and Glucose consists of six carbon atoms, twelve hydrogen atoms, and six oxygen atoms. Hence, its chemical formula is the same as glucose which is C₆ H₁₂ O₆.

2. Lactose Formula

Lactose is composed of eight hydroxyl groups and one carbonyl group with a cyclic structure. It is an isomer of sucrose and sucrose consists of twelve carbon atoms, twenty-two hydrogen atoms, and eleven oxygen atoms. Hence, its chemical formula is the same as sucrose which is C₁₂ H₂₂ O₁₁.