Question

If glucose or blood sugar has the molecular formula \[{C_6}{H_{12}}{O_6}\] then calculate their empirical formula.

Answer 1

Hint: Glucose is the most abundant monosaccharide. Blood sugar or glucose is the main sugar found in blood. The empirical formula of a chemical compound is defined as the smallest positive integer ratio of atoms present in a compound.

Complete step by step answer:
The empirical formula of a chemical compound is the simplest positive integer ratio of atoms present in a compound.Now in order to find the empirical formula first of all we have to find the molecular formula.The molecular formula of glucose or blood sugar is \[{C_6}{H_{12}}{O_6}\]. From the given formula we can say that the number of carbon atoms are six, hydrogen atoms are twelve and oxygen atoms are six. All the number of atoms are multiples of six so we can write the empirical formula of glucose as ${(C{H_2}O)_6}$.
Additional Information:-Glucose is soluble in water and acetic acid. It is an important source of energy and provides nutrients to the body’s organs, muscles and nervous system. It is mainly made by plants and most algae during photosynthesis from water and carbon dioxide, using energy from sunlight, where it is used to make cellulose in cell walls. The naturally occurring form of glucose is D-glucose. It is naturally found in fruits and other parts of plants in its free state. In animals glucose arises from the breakdown of glycogen in a process known as glycogenolysis. Glucose is the most widely used aldohexose in living organisms. Glucose is a reducing sugar. The glucose molecule can exist in an open chain as well as in ring form.

Note:
In energy metabolism, glucose is the most important source of energy in all organisms. Glucose for metabolism is partially stored as a polymer, in plants mainly as a starch and amylopectin and in animals as glycogen.