What is the Difference Between Ketose and Aldose?

The main difference between aldose and ketose lies in the composition of their carbon skeletons. Both aldose and ketose are simple sugars (monosaccharides), but they have distinct functional groups:

• Aldose: These are monosaccharides with an aldehyde group (CHO) as their main functional group. Examples include glucose, ribose, and galactose.
• Ketose: These are monosaccharides with a ketone group (CO) as their main functional group. Examples include fructose, erythrulose, and ribulose.

Some other differences between aldoses and ketoses include:

• Location: Aldoses are primarily found in plants, while ketoses are used in processed food.
• Isomerization: Aldoses can isomerize into ketoses, but ketoses can only isomerize into aldoses in the presence of reducing sugars.
• Seliwanoff's Test: This test can be used to distinguish between aldoses and ketoses. When conducting the test, the color of aldose changes to light pink, whereas the color of ketose turns into deep cherry red.

In summary, the primary difference between aldose and ketose is the presence of an aldehyde group in aldoses and a ketone group in ketoses. This difference in composition leads to variations in their location, isomerization, and color changes during Seliwanoff's Test.

Comparative Table: Ketose vs Aldose

Here is a table comparing the differences between aldose and ketose:

Aldose and ketose are both monosaccharides, but they differ in the group they contain and their natural occurrences. Aldoses have an aldehyde group, while ketoses have a ketone group. Aldoses are primarily found in plants, whereas ketoses are found in processed foods. In the presence of reducing sugar, ketoses can isomerize into aldoses, but aldoses do not isomerize into ketoses. Seliwanoff's Test can be used to distinguish between the two, as the color of aldose changes to light pink, while the color of ketose turns into deep cherry red.