Scribd
Upload
229 views

Fehling's Reagent: Equal Volumes of Fehling A and Fehling B Are Mixed To Form A Deep Blue Solution

Fehling's test is used to detect the presence of reducing sugars. Reducing sugars react with Fehling's solution, a mixture of copper sulfate and potassium sodium tartrate, to form a brick red precipitate of copper(I) oxide. Glucose, galactose, fructose, maltose, lactose, and glycogen all tested positive as reducing sugars, forming the precipitate. Sucrose and starch did not react as they are non-reducing sugars. Fructose tested positive despite being a ketose due to its conversion to an aldehyde in the basic Fehling's solution. The test distinguishes between reducing and non-reducing sugars based on the presence

Uploaded by

HOly makaroni
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
229 views

Fehling's Reagent: Equal Volumes of Fehling A and Fehling B Are Mixed To Form A Deep Blue Solution

Fehling's test is used to detect the presence of reducing sugars. Reducing sugars react with Fehling's solution, a mixture of copper sulfate and potassium sodium tartrate, to form a brick red precipitate of copper(I) oxide. Glucose, galactose, fructose, maltose, lactose, and glycogen all tested positive as reducing sugars, forming the precipitate. Sucrose and starch did not react as they are non-reducing sugars. Fructose tested positive despite being a ketose due to its conversion to an aldehyde in the basic Fehling's solution. The test distinguishes between reducing and non-reducing sugars based on the presence

Uploaded by

HOly makaroni
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 2

Fehling’s Test:

This forms the reduction test of carbohydrates. Fehling’s solution contains blue alkaline cupric hydroxide
solution, heated with reducing sugars gets reduced to yellow or red cuprous oxide and is precipitated.
Hence, formation of the yellow or brownish-red colored precipitate helps in the detection of reducing
sugars in the test solution.

Fehling’s reagent:

Equal volumes of Fehling A and Fehling B are mixed to form a deep blue solution.

Method:

Place 1ml of each of sugar solutions in separate test-tube then to each sample, add 2 mL of Fehling’s
reagent, after warm the six test tubes in a warm bath until a change is observed.

Record your observation

Results:

Glucose solution Orange-brown color is appeared. (+)

Galactose solution Orange-brown color is appeared. (+)

Fructose solution Orange-brown color is appeared (+)

Lactose solution Orange-brown color is appeared (+)

Maltose solution Orange-brown color is appeared (+)

Sucrose does not react with Fehling's solution. (-)

Glycogen solution Orange-brown color is appeared (+)

starch does not react with Fehling's solution. (-)

Discussion:

The formation of brick red precipitate confirms the presence of reducing sugar in the test sample. If
reducing sugar is absent in the sample the solution in the test tube will remain a deep blue color.

Most of the disaccharides, oligosaccharides and polysaccharides are linked of monosaccharides units
bonded by glycosidic bond; form between hydroxyl group of one anomaly carbon of others, as a result,
free anomaly carbons are unavailable to reduce cupric salts, and hence these types of carbohydrates are
known as reducing sugar. Therefore, import negative result of Fehling’s reagent
A positive result is indicated by the formation of a brick red precipitate. The copper tartrate complex of
Fehling’s reagent reacts with reducing sugar to form carboxylic acid and a reddish precipitate copper
oxide. The Formation of red precipitate of copper oxide denotes the presence of reducing sugar.

Why does sucrose does not react with Fehling`s reagent?


Sucrose is a disaccharide of glucose and fructose. Most disaccharides are reducing sugars, sucrose is a
notable exception, for it is a non-reducing sugar. The anomeric carbon of glucose is involved in the
glucose - fructose bond and hence is not free to form the aldehyde in solution.

Disaccharide’s maltose and lactose also belong of reducing sugars because they contain a hemiacetal
group, whose open chain form contains aldehyde, which gives positive result of Fehling`s test.

Sugars with hemiacetal are in equilibrium with an open ring chain form containing aldehyde group. This
open chain aldehyde behaves as reducing agents.

Why Fructose reacts with Fehling reagent.

Fructose Is a ketose monosaccharide and a reducing sugar, however it also gives positive Fehling’s test
because it is an alpha hydroxyl ketone and is converted to the aldehyde containing monosaccharide,
glucose and mannose by the base present in Fehling’s reagent.

Fehling’s solution is used to differentiate between water soluble aldehyde and ketone except (alpha
hydroxyl ketones) and as a genetic test for monosaccharides.

You might also like