Abstract
Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the low-molecular weight carbohydrates that can be formally considered as the oxidation products of mono- or oligo-saccharides in which an aldehyde group and/or one or more hydroxyl groups have been oxidized to carbonyl and/or carboxyl groups. Some acids are important natural products, for instance, L -ascorbic acid (vitamin C); others, such as the glycuronic acids, are the constituents of abundant polysaccharides. Examples of commercial importance are ascorbic acid, as one of the major water-soluble antioxidants; salts of gluconic acid such as the magnesium salt used in the pharmaceutical industry; and D -ribono-1,4-lactone, a versatile material used in the synthesis of natural products. The oxidation products are divided into two principal categories,—namely, acids (and lactones) and neutral compounds. Three kinds of sugar acids can be formally obtained from the corresponding aldoses: (1) aldonic acids, produced by the oxidation at C–1 of the aldose; (2) uronic acids, formed by the oxidation of the primary alcohol group of the aldose; and (3) aldaric acids, formed by the oxidation of both the aldehyde and the primary alcohol group. Neutral oxidation products such as dialdoses, glycosuloses, and glycodiuloses are also discussed in detail in the chapter.
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