Question

Define the following term: Invert sugar.

Hint:

Invert sugar is the mixture of glucose and fructose obtained when sucrose is hydrolysed (broken down by water, usually with acid or the enzyme invertase).

Answer 1

Invert sugar is the mixture of glucose and fructose obtained when sucrose is hydrolysed (broken down by water, usually with acid or the enzyme invertase). It is called invert sugar because the sign of optical rotation changes (inverts) during the reaction: sucrose rotates plane-polarised light to the right (+), but the final glucose and fructose mixture rotates it to the left (-).