Carbohydrates

Results and Discussion

Table 1. Visible results of General Tests positive result for Molischstest. The
extracted solution from the chicken
liver produced this positive result.
Descripti Molisch KI/I2
on 's Test The use of Lugol's iodine
reagent (IKI) is useful to distinguish
2- starch and glycogen from other
Isolat Clear layered Turbid polysaccharides. Lugol's iodine yields
e yellow solutio yello a blue-black color in the presence of
solution n w starch. Glycogen reacts with Lugol's
1st soutio reagent to give a brown-yellow color.
layer- n Other polysaccharides and
red monosaccharides yield no color
turbid change; the test solution remains the
sol'n characteristic brown-yellow of the
2nd reagent. It is thought that starch and
layer- glycogen form helical coils. Iodine
green atoms can then fit into the helices to
solutio form a starch-iodine or glycogen-
n iodine complex.

Table 2. Results of Qualitative Tests

When glycogen was
successfully extracted from the Carbohydrat Visible Results
chicken e Benedict' Barfoed' Seliwano
liver, it was isolated from impurities, s solution s s ff Test
pecifically fromproteins, by protein pre Test Test
cipitation. Precipitation oftheproteins, Glucose (+) Brick Blue (-)
which was enhanced by 0.1% CH3COO red sol'n green
H, was brought about by boiling the sol'n
chicken liver with water. While Fructose (+) Red Blue (+)
heating, glycogen was left soluble in Solution green Cherry
the solution. The precipitate was sol'n Red
separated from the solution by the Xylose (+) Light Blue (-) Visible
process of filtration. orange solution changes
sol'n
Molischs test is a general test f Lactose (+) Dark Blue (-)
or carbohydrates.Polysaccharides like red solution
glycogen are hydrolyzed by conc. solution
H2SO4to yield their subunits. Glucose, Sucrose (-) No Blue (+)
the subunit of glycogen, color solution Cherry
isthen dehydrated with conc. H2SO4 t change red
o form 5-hydroxymethylfurfural which Starch (-) No Blue (-)
reacts with -naphthol in 95% - color soution
ethanol, the Molischs reagent, to give change
a purple product. The formation of a Unknown (-) (-) Blue (-) No
purple ring or a red solution is the Yellow solution color
 solution
Figure 1. Benedict's test results
change Benedict's reagent is used
as a test for the presence of all
monosaccharides, and generally also
reducing sugars. These include
glucose,
galactose, mannose, lactose and
maltose.Even more generally,
Benedict's test will detect the
presence of aldehydes
(except aromatic ones), and alph
a-hydroxy-ketones, including those
that occur in certain ketoses. Thus,
although the ketose fructose is not
strictly a reducing sugar, it is an alpha-
hydroxy-ketone, and gives a positive
test because it is converted to the
aldoses glucose and mannose by
the base in the reagent. all of the
samples were originally a clear blue
solution. The unknown sample formed
an yellow solution. The sucrose
sample had no changes; it remained a
clear blue solution. The glucose
sample formed an brivk red solution.
The fructose sample formed an red
solution. The xylose sample formed an
light orange precipitate (powder-like)
with an orange solution
Figure 2. Barfoed's test results
Barfoed's Test is a chemical test
used for detecting thepresence of
monosaccharides. It is based on the
reduction of copper(II) acetate to
copper(I) oxide (Cu2O), which forms
abrick-red precipitate. (Disaccharides
may also react, but the
reaction is much slower.) The aldehyde
group of themonosaccharide which
normally forms a cyclic hemiacetal is
oxidized to the carboxylate. A number
of other substances, including sodium
chloride, may interfere. In Barfoed's test,
all of the samples were originally a clear blue
solution. The unknown sample formed a red-
brown precipitate with a clear blue solution.
The sucrose sample had no changes; it
remained to be a clear blue solution. The
lactose sample formed a red-brown precipitate
in with a clear blue solution. The glucose sample
formed a red-brown precipitate in with a clear
blue solution. The fructose sample formed a red-
brown precipitate with a clear blue solution.
The xylose sample formed a red-brown
precipitate with a clear blue solution.
Figure 3. Seliwanoff's test results
Seliwanoffs test bears a
positive result with ketohexoses and is
used to distinguish between
ketohexoses and aldohexoses. The
test reagent consists of resorcinol in
6M HCl. The 6M HCl
dehydrates ketohexoses to 5-
hydroxymethylfurfural which reacts
with resorcinol to produce a cherry red
condensation product within 2 min.
Ketoses are more rapidly dehydrated
than aldoses when heated. A positive
result is indicated by a cherry-red
precipitate within 2 min. Fructose, a
ketohexose,was tested positive while
xylose, an aldopentose, was tested
negative. Aldohexoses react to form
the same product but with a faint pink
color instead and would do so more
slowly. As a result, glucose and
galactose were tested negative. 6MHCl
hydrolyses sucrose and lactose
into their monosaccharide subunits.
Sucrose, a disaccharide consisting of
fructose and glucose,
gave a positive test while lactose,
a disaccharide consisting of glucose
and galactose, gave a negative test.
All of the samples were originally a
colorless solution, glucoxe, xylose, lactose,
starch and the unknown showed a
negative result because there are no
visible changes observed. Sucrose and
fructose are the only carbohydrate
solution that showed a positive result, a
cherry red solution is observed.
Mucic acid test is used for galactose. O
xidation of monosaccharides by conc.
Nitric acid HNO3 yields soluble
dicarboxylic acids. Mucic acids are
insoluble with the said oxidizing agent.
A positive result for mucic acid test is
theformation of an insoluble crystalline
precipitate and wouldindicate the pres
ence of galactose. Lactose and galacto
se were tested positive with mucic
acid test.
Figure 4.
Osazone Crystals
The phenylhydrazone test detec
ts reducing sugars likemonosaccharide
s and disaccharides. Phenylhydrazoner
eagent consists of phenylhydrazine hy
drochloride and NaCH3COO. Aldoses
and ketoses when they react to
phenylhydrazine, they form crystalline
product which is known as the
osazones.
Conclusion
Carbohydrates are the most
abundant class of bioorganic
molecules on planet Earth. Although
their abundance in the human body is
relatively low, carbohydrates
constitute about75% by mass of dry
plant materials. Green (chlorophyll-
containing) plants produce
carbohydrates via photosynthesis. In
this process, carbon dioxide from the
air and water from the soil are the
reactants, and sunlight absorbed by
chlorophyll is the energy source.
CO2 + H2O + solar energy
carbohydrates + O2
Plants have two main uses for
the carbohydrates they produce. In
the form of cellulose, carbohydrates
serve as structural elements, and in
the form of starch, they provide
energy reserves for plants.
carbohydrate is a polyhydroxy
aldehyde, a polyhydroxy ketone, or a
compound that yields polyhydroxy
aldehydes or polyhydroxy ketones
upon hydrolysis. The carbohydrate
glucose is a polyhydroxy aldehyde,
and the carbohydrate fructose is a
polyhydroxy ketone. Amonosaccharide
is a carbohydrate that contains a
single polyhydroxy aldehyde or
polyhydroxyketone unit.
Monosaccharides cannot be broken
down into simpler units by hydrolysis
reactions. Pure monosaccharides are
water-soluble, white, crystalline solids.
Oligosaccharide is a carbohydrate that
contains two to ten monosaccharide
units covalently bonded to each other.
Disaccharides are the most common
type of oligosaccharide; it is a
carbohydrate that contains two
monosaccharide units covalently
bonded to each other. Like
monosaccharides, disaccharides are
crystalline, water-soluble substances.
The tests gave a positive result
under the Molisch test indicating that
it is a carbohydrate and it also gave a
positive result under the Benedict's
test indicating that it is a reducing
sugar. In addition to this it tested
positive under the iodine test
indicating the presence of starch. It
gave negative results under the
Seliwanoff's test which indicates it is
not Fructose. It also gave a negative
result under the Bial's test which
indicates that it is a hexose sugar and
not a pentose sugar. As previously
mentioned the starch gave a blue
result under Benedict's test which is
A
not what was expected from a
reducing sugar, as it would have been
expected to produce an orange
precipitate.
References
Seager, S., et. al. (2006). Chemistry for
today. Australia:
Thomson/Brooks/Cole.
Tropp, Burton E. (1997). Biochemistry :
concepts and applications. Pacific
Grove, CA : Brooks/Cole
Qualitative tests for Carbohydrates (2015). Retrieved April
29, 2017 from
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