Overview

Fructose (FROOK-tose) is a white crystalline solid found in honey and certain fruits and vegetables. It is the sweetest of the common sugars. Fructose is a carbohydrate, an organic compound in which five of the six carbon atoms are arranged in a ring to which are attached the hydrogen atoms and hydroxy (−OH) groups that make up the molecule. It is classified as a monosaccharide ("one sweet substance"), in contrast to sucrose, common table sugar, which is classified as a disaccharide ("two sweet substances"). Molecules of sucrose consist of two rings rather than the one ring found in fructose.

Key Facts

Other Names:

D-Fructose; fruit sugar

Formula:

C₆H₁₂O₆

Elements:

Carbon, hydrogen, oxygen

Compound Type:

Carbohydrate (organic)

State:

Solid

Molecular Weight:

180.16 g/mol

Melting Point:

103°C (217°F); decomposes

Boiling Point:

Not applicable

Solubility:

Very soluble in water and acetone; soluble in ethyl alcohol and methyl alcohol...