Sciencemadness Discussion Board

Sugar peroxides and similar stuff?

Adas - 29-2-2012 at 08:56

Hello, this is again my pure speculation. :)

My chemistry teacher gave me samples of glucose and fructose.

I wonder if they can form organic peroxides if the ring (they occur mostly as cyclic forms) can be opened, and their aldehyde/ketone group oxidized.
They would be probably soluble in water because of many -OH groups.

Another idea is to oxidize glucose to gluconic acid, which has got a ketone group on the ring, when it cyclises. I see this option as more possible, but it is not easy to make gluconic acid, though.

Is it possible to open the ring using warm HCl? How to prevent ring formation? Would it be possible to make organic peroxides of these substances?

Thanks for your time.

Adas - 17-3-2012 at 02:44

Guys, I've got something new:

I put some fructose, H2O2, acetone and HCl into a plastic container, but no crystals have been formed even after 3 hours!

I think this indicates that some mixed peroxide between acetone and fructose has been formed, because acetone peroxide alone would percipitate.
What do you think?

bbartlog - 17-3-2012 at 04:52

Quantities? Concentrations? Temperature? Also, 'nothing happened' isn't evidence of anything. Thinking that it is is some sort of new height in unfounded optimism that I haven't seen before. Usually one at least sees something like 'I got a sludgy precipitate, that must be my product!'.
Anyway, HCl is pretty aggressive with sugar. Tends to turn it into tar. I also don't think it's a good idea to mix compounds that are known to create dangerously sensitive explosives unless that's explicitly your goal (in which case precautions of various sorts of course are in order).

Adas - 17-3-2012 at 05:04

I didn't say "nothing happened"! I just don't see any crystals, just slight bubling.

I know HCl can turn sugars into tar.

It is just a few milliliters, don't worry.

Vikascoder - 17-3-2012 at 08:08

Wait for some more time because acetone peroxide completely precipitates in about twenty four hours. And by mixing equato