Question

Sorbitol can be obtained by the reduction of glucose. True or False

Answer 1

As we know that sorbitol is also known as glucitol. It is a sugar alcohol that is sweet in taste and the human body metabolizes it slowly. Mostly it is made up from potato starch but it is also found in nature like in apples, peaches, pears, etc. So here we have to tell whether it can be obtained by the reduction of glucose or not.

Complete answer:
Let us first discuss about sorbitol as follows:-
-Sorbitol: It is also known as glucitol and it is a sugar alcohol which is sweet in taste. The chemical formula of sorbitol is${{C}_{6}}{{H}_{14}}{{O}_{6}}$. It metabolizes slowly in the human body. Mostly it is made up from potato starch and is also found in nature in minute amounts. It can be synthesized as follows:-
${{C}_{6}}{{H}_{12}}{{O}_{6}}+NADH+{{H}^{+}}\xrightarrow{\text{ }\\!\\![\\!\\!\text{ aldehyde reductase }\\!\\!]\\!\\!\text{ }}{{C}_{6}}{{H}_{14}}{{O}_{6}}+NA{{D}^{+}}$
-It is mainly synthesized by the reduction of glucose. In this synthesis, the aldehyde group is usually converted into a hydroxyl group. This reaction requires NADH (Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) and is catalyzed by aldehyde reductase. First step is the glucose reduction of all the polyol pathways of glucose metabolism.
-The mechanism of reduction of glucose to sorbitol also involves a tyrosine residue in the active site of aldehyde reductase. The H atom on NADH is then transferred to the electrophilic aldehyde site that abstracts the proton on the tyrosine side chain so as to form the hydroxyl group.
-So from the above data we can say that sorbitol can be obtained by the reduction of glucose and it is a true statement.

Note:
-Reduction is the process of gain of electrons by the chemical compound or species. It can also be said as the addition of hydrogen atoms or removal of oxygen atoms from the compound.
-Sorbitol is an optical isomer of mannitol which is another sugar alcohol and both of them are used as sweeteners.