Galactose
Galactose (from the Greek stem γάλακτ– galakt–, "milk") is a sugar. It has almost the same chemical structure as glucose.
| D-Galactose | |
|---|---|
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| Identifiers | |
| CAS number | |
| PubChem | |
| KEGG | D04291 |
| MeSH | |
| ChEBI | CHEBI:28061 |
| SMILES | O[C@H]1[C@@H](O)[C@H](O[C@H](O)[C@@H]1O)CO |
| Properties | |
| Molecular formula | C6H12O6 |
| Molar mass | 180.12 g mol-1 |
| Appearance | White solid[1] |
| Odor | Odorless[1] |
| Density | 1.5 g/cm3[1] |
| Melting point |
168-170 °C, 271 K, -106 °F |
| Solubility in water | 650 g/L (20 °C)[1] |
| -103.00·10−6 cm3/mol | |
| Pharmacology | |
| ATC code | |
| Hazards | |
| NFPA 704 |
0
1
0
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| Except where noted otherwise, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C, 100 kPa) | |
Large amounts of pure galactose do not exist in nature. Instead, galactose is usually found with glucose in lactose, a sugar found in milk and other milk products. After lactose is digested and absorbed, galactose arrives in the liver. There it is changed into either glucose or glycogen.
Galactose Media
stereoisomers of D-galactose in Haworth projection
Chair conformation of D-Galactopyranose
Metabolism of common monosaccharides, and related reactions
Diagram showing the metabolism of galactose via the Leloir pathway. UDP is uridine diphosphate. Based on: Holden H M et al. J. Biol. Chem. 2003;278:43885-43888
