organic chemistry Organic chemistry is a subdiscipline within chemistry involving the science, scientific study of the structure, properties, and reactions of organic compounds and organic matter, organic materials, i.e., matter in its various forms that contain ...

, a sugar acid or acidic sugar is a

monosaccharide Monosaccharides (from Greek '' monos'': single, '' sacchar'': sugar), also called simple sugars, are the simplest forms of sugar and the most basic units (monomers) from which all carbohydrates are built. Chemically, monosaccharides are polyhy ...

with a

carboxyl group In organic chemistry, a carboxylic acid is an organic acid that contains a carboxyl group () attached to an R-group. The general formula of a carboxylic acid is often written as or , sometimes as with R referring to an organyl group (e.g. ...

at one end or both ends of its

chain A chain is a serial assembly of connected pieces, called links, typically made of metal, with an overall character similar to that of a rope in that it is flexible and curved in compression but linear, rigid, and load-bearing in tension. A ...

. Main classes of sugar acids include: * Aldonic acids, in which the

aldehyde group In organic chemistry, an aldehyde () (lat. ''al''cohol ''dehyd''rogenatum, dehydrogenated alcohol) is an organic compound containing a functional group with the structure . The functional group itself (without the "R" side chain) can be referred ...

() located at the initial end ( position 1) of an

aldose An aldose is a monosaccharide (a simple sugar) with a carbon backbone chain with a carbonyl group on the endmost carbon atom, making it an aldehyde, and hydroxyl groups connected to all the other carbon atoms. Aldoses can be distinguished from ket ...

is oxidized. * Ulosonic acids, in which the hydroxymethyl group () at the initial end of a 2-

ketose In organic chemistry, a ketose is a monosaccharide containing one ketone () group per molecule. The simplest ketose is dihydroxyacetone (), which has only three carbon atoms. It is the only ketose with no optical activity. All monosaccharide keto ...

is oxidized creating an α-

ketoacid In organic chemistry, keto acids or ketoacids (also called oxo acids or oxoacids) are organic compounds that contain a carboxylic acid group () and a ketone group ().Franz Dietrich Klingler, Wolfgang Ebertz "Oxocarboxylic Acids" in Ullmann's En ...

. *

Uronic acid 300px, The glucose.html" ;"title="Fischer projections of D-glucose">Fischer projections of D-glucose (left) and D-glucuronic acid (right). Glucose's terminal carbon's primary alcohol group has been oxidized to a carboxylic acid. Uronic acids ...

s, in which the group at the terminal end of an aldose or ketose is oxidized. * Aldaric acids, in which both ends ( and ) of an aldose are oxidized.

Examples

Examples of sugar acids include: * Aldonic acids ** Glyceric acid (3C) ** Xylonic acid (5C) **

Gluconic acid Gluconic acid is an organic compound with molecular formula C6H12O7 and condensed structural formula HOCH2(CHOH)4CO2H. A white solid, it forms the gluconate anion in neutral aqueous solution. The salts of gluconic acid are known as "gluconates" ...

(6C) **

Ascorbic acid Ascorbic acid is an organic compound with formula , originally called hexuronic acid. It is a white solid, but impure samples can appear yellowish. It dissolves freely in water to give mildly acidic solutions. It is a mild reducing agent. Asco ...

(6C, unsaturated lactone) * Ulosonic acids **

Neuraminic acid Neuraminic acid (5-amino-3,5-dideoxy-D-''glycero''-D-''galacto''-non-2-ulosonic acid) is an Sugar acid, acidic (in particular Sugar acid#ulosonic acid, ulosonic) amino sugar, amino sugar with a backbone formed by nine carbon atoms. Although 9 ...

(5-amino-3,5-dideoxy-D- ''glycero''-D- ''galacto''-non-2-ulosonic acid) ** Ketodeoxyoctulosonic acid (KDO or 3-deoxy-D- ''manno''-oct-2-ulosonic acid) * Uronic acids **

Glucuronic acid Glucuronic acid (GCA, from ) is a uronic acid that was first isolated from urine (hence the name "uronic acid"). It is found in many natural gum, gums such as gum arabic ( 18%), xanthan, and kombucha tea and is important for the metabolism of ...

(6C) **

Galacturonic acid -Galacturonic acid is a sugar acid, an oxidized form of -galactose. It is the main component of pectin, in which it exists as the polymer polygalacturonic acid. In its open form, it has an aldehyde group at C1 and a carboxylic acid group at ...

(6C) **

Iduronic acid -Iduronic acid (IUPAC abbr.: IdoA) is the major uronic acid component of the glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) dermatan sulfate, and heparin. It is also present in heparan sulfate, although here in a minor amount relative to its carbon-5 epimer glucuronic ...

(6C) * Aldaric acids **

Tartaric acid Tartaric acid is a white, crystalline organic acid that occurs naturally in many fruits, most notably in grapes but also in tamarinds, bananas, avocados, and citrus. Its salt (chemistry), salt, potassium bitartrate, commonly known as cream of ta ...

(4C) ** ''meso''-Galactaric acid ( Mucic acid) (6C) ** D-Glucaric acid ( Saccharic acid) (6C)

References

External links

* {{MeshName, Sugar+Acids