MOLECULE

beta-D-Glucose

β-D-Glucopyranose is one of the four cyclic isomers of D-glucose. Glucose (CAS: 50-99-7) is a monosaccharide containing six carbon atoms and an aldehyde group and is therefore referred to as an aldohexose. The glucose molecule can exist in an open-chain (acyclic) and ring (cyclic) form, the latter being the result of an intramolecular reaction between the aldehyde C atom and the C-5 hydroxyl group to form an intramolecular hemiacetal. In aqueous solution, both forms are in equilibrium and at pH 7 the cyclic one is predominant. Glucose is the most abundant monosaccharide, a subcategory of carbohydrates and it is mainly made by plants and most algae during photosynthesis from water and carbon dioxide, using energy from sunlight, as such it is also found in Cannabis sativa (PMID: 6991645). In plants and algae, it is used to make cellulose in cell walls, which is the most abundant carbohydrate polymer found in nature. Glucose is a primary source of energy for living organisms. It is naturally occurring and is found in fruits and other parts of plants in its free state. In animals, glucose arises from the breakdown of glycogen in a process known as glycogenolysis. Glucose is synthesized in the liver and kidneys from non-carbohydrate intermediates, such as pyruvate and glycerol, by a process known as gluconeogenesis. D-Glucose is found to be associated with 3-methyl-crotonyl-glycinuria, growth hormone deficiency, and primary hypomagnesemia, which are inborn errors of metabolism. Glucose is used therapeutically in fluid and nutrient replacement.