Dextrose is specifically right-handed, which is why it starts like dexter, the Latin word for right (and the rest is just ose, which means sugar, so the whole thing just means right-handed sugar). It got its name because when it was first identified as its own molecule, it was because it polarised light to the right, whereas l-sucrose, which had already been identified, polarised it to the left. Glucose is also possible as left-handed l-glucose, although it doesn't occur naturally in earth life.
3 Comments
sundray@lemmus.org · 13 pts · 2d
If you see a bag of sugar hitchhiking, you should give a saccharide.
Tugboater203@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 2d
Sorry, I couldn't post earlier because of whatever was going on with .world.
AnyOldName3@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 2d
Dextrose is specifically right-handed, which is why it starts like dexter, the Latin word for right (and the rest is just ose, which means sugar, so the whole thing just means right-handed sugar). It got its name because when it was first identified as its own molecule, it was because it polarised light to the right, whereas l-sucrose, which had already been identified, polarised it to the left. Glucose is also possible as left-handed l-glucose, although it doesn't occur naturally in earth life.