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What is the effect of mutarotation on the reducing power of a carbohydrate solution?
 

Option: 1

Mutarotation increases the reducing power of a carbohydrate solution.
 


Option: 2

Mutarotation decreases the reducing power of a carbohydrate solution.


Option: 3

Mutarotation has no effect on the reducing power of a carbohydrate solution.

 


Option: 4

Mutarotation increases the reducing power of the alpha anomer but decreases the reducing power of the beta anomer.


Answers (1)

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Mutarotation is a term used to describe the spontaneous change in the specific rotation of a carbohydrate solution over time due to the conversion of its anomers. Anomers are a special type of stereoisomers that differ in their configuration at the anomeric carbon, which is the carbon atom that is involved in the formation of a glycosidic bond with another sugar molecule. In solution, the cyclic forms of monosaccharides exist in an equilibrium between their alpha and beta anomers, and this equilibrium can shift over time due to the breaking and reforming of glycosidic bonds. During mutarotation, the concentration of the two anomers in a solution changes as they convert into each other, leading to a change in the optical activity of the solution. This change in specific rotation can be measured using a polarimeter, which is a device that measures the rotation of plane-polarized light passing through a solution.

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