Xylose

Description

A pentose sugar with a sweet taste that is used as a sugar substitute. Xylose is a dextrorotatory white powder composed of colorless needle or prism crystals. It is derived from the hydrolysis of wood (maple and cherry), straw, corn cobs, peanut shells, cottonseed hulls and wood pulp waste. Xylose is used in dyeing, tanning leather, and as a diabetic food.

Synonyms and Related Terms

wood sugar; Xylomed; Xylopfan

Chemical structure

Other Properties

Soluble in water, pyridine, ethanol.

Composition	C5H10O5
CAS	58-86-6
Melting Point	144-145
Density	1.525
Molecular Weight	mol. wt. = 150.14

Hazards and Safety

Combustible.

Mallinckrodt Baker: MSDS

Authority

• G.S.Brady, Materials Handbook, McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1971 Comment: p. 781

• G.G. Hawley, The Condensed Chemical Dictionary, Reinhold Publishing, New York, 6th ed., 1961

• Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, at http://www.wikipedia.com Comment: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xylose (accessed Mar. 10, 2006)