Properties of glucose

D-Glucose, the most abundant carbohydrate and the most abundant organic compound (if all its combined forms are considered), belongs to the class of carbohydrates called monosaccharides. Monosaccharides are carbohydrate molecules that cannot be broken down to simpler carbohydrate molecules by hydrolysis, so they are sometimes referred to as simple sugars.

Glucose(C6H12O6), also called dextrose is a hexose -- a monosaccharide containing six carbon atoms. Five of the carbons plus an oxygen atom form a loop called a "pyranose ring", the most stable form for six-carbon aldoses. In this ring, each carbon is linked to hydroxyl and hydrogen side groups with the exception of the fifth atom, which links to a 6th carbon atom outside the ring, forming a CH2OH group. This ring structure exists in equilibrium with a more reactive acyclic form, which makes up 0.0026% at pH 7.

Glucose is found in fruits and honey and is the major free sugar circulating in the blood of higher animals.

D-Glucose is both a polyalcohol and an aldehyde. It is classified as an aldose, a designation for sugars containing an aldehyde group. The ending -ose signifies a sugar and- ald signifies an aldehyde group.

Other properties of glucose including:
Can be either solid or liquid
Melting Point: 294.8˚F(146˚C)
Density: 1.54 g/cm³
Weight: 180.16 g/mol
Soluble in water and acetic acid
Sweet taste
No odor
Colourless and is also clear

In diabetes mellitus excess of glucose is converted to sorbitol. The osmotic effect of sorbitol is responsible for many of the complications of diabetes mellitus e.g. cataract formation in lens.
Properties of glucose