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| Glucose structure |
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| Glucose structure with bonds |
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| Glucose structure with bond angles |
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| Lewis structure of glucose |
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| Polar covalent bonds |
Glucose is one of the most important molecules when it comes to many topics such as body function, natural sources, and health. It is found in animals and plants and is easily one of the most abundant carbohydrates. Glucose is a part of the many disaccharides and polysaccharides, which are forms of sugars. However, glucose is a monosaccharide, or a simple sugar. It is often combined with fructose to make sucrose and with galactose to form lactose, which are all important molecules. Many polysaccharides are formed with glucose including starch, fiber, and glycogen. These are all important substances that we all see today. In body function, glucose is the main source of energy, used for more bodily processes. Blood glucose, or blood sugar, is very important and used by the body easily. Without glucose, it would be very hard to produce any energy. We all need glucose to live. Glucose is key to many processes such as cellular respiration, food digestion, and the production of ATP, which provides us with energy. When it comes to natural sources, glucose is found in plants and animals. Fruits, vegetables, grains, and carbohydrates all have glucose in them. All of these foods consist of glucose and therefore we would not have these foods without it. Many topics of health come into play with glucose as well. Conditions like hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia deal with glucose. Hypoglycemia is a condition where there is abnormal levels of low blood glucose and hyperglycemia is a condition with abnormal levels of high blood glucose. These are just a few health conditions that deal with glucose. To most patients glucose keeps them living. In the end though, glucose is essential to live in any case. Without glucose, we wouldn't be alive. So how could you not want to buy one of the most essential things in life?
In chemistry, glucose is seen as C6H12O6 in a chemical equation. It is a very polar molecule due to the many OH groups all around the molecule. These OH groups are very polar themselves and the molecule is very unsymmetrical which usually tends to make it polar. Also, glucose is extremely soluble in water which shows that glucose is polar. This is because a polar dissolves in polar substances and non-polar dissolves in non-polar substances. Glucose has polar covalent bonds between C and O, C and H, and O and H. In C and O bonds, the attraction is towards the higher electronegativity value which is O. In C and H bonds the attraction is towards C because it has a higher value. Lastly, between O and H the attraction is towards O. Oxygen has the highest value of the three at 3.5. Carbon has a value of 2.5 and H has a value of 2.2. Between glucose molecules, it is mostly hydrogen bonding (a type of dipole-dipole interaction) because oxygen is taking more than its share of electrons, it has a partial negative charge, which then is attracted to the partial positive left behind on the attached hydrogens (and carbons). The hydrogen bonds are much weaker than the covalent. Glucose has dipole-dipole attractions because it has a electro static attraction from a positive to a negative. It also has hydrogen bonding, which is a temporary covalent bond that forms between H and F, H and O, and H and N. Lastly, glucose has london dispersion forces because of the distribution of electrons that make it either negative or positive.
