arabinose

Arabinose
IUPAC name	Arabinose
Other names	Pectinose
Identifiers
CAS number	147-81-9, 10323-20-3 (D-isomer) 5328-37-0 (L-isomer)
PubChem	5460291
EC-number	205-699-8
Properties[1]
Molecular formula	C5H10O5
Molar mass	150.13 g mol−1
Appearance	colourless crystals (prisms or needles)
Density	1.585 g/cm3 (20 ºC)
Melting point	164–165 ºC
Solubility in water	soluble
Related compounds
Related aldopentoses	Ribose Xylose Lyxose
Y(what is this?)  (verify) Except where noted otherwise, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C, 100 kPa)
Infobox references

Arabinose is an aldopentose – a monosaccharide containing five carbon atoms, and including an aldehyde (CHO) functional group.

The chemical structure of D-arabinofuranose

For biosynthetic reasons, most saccharides are almost always more abundant in nature as the "D"-form, or structurally analogous to D-glyceraldehyde.^{[note 1]} However, L-arabinose is in fact more common than D-arabinose in nature and is found in nature as a component of biopolymers such as hemicellulose and pectin. The L-arabinose operon is a very important operon in molecular biology and bioengineering.

A classic method for the organic synthesis of arabinose from glucose is the Wohl degradation.^[2]

Notes

References