Lactose Formula
Question 1: What is lactose?
Answer:
Lactose is a disaccharide that is also called milk sugar or lactobiose. It is a type of carbohydrate whose molecular formula is C12H22O11. It is composed of 12 carbon atoms, 22 hydrogen atoms, and 11 oxygen atoms. It is synthesized from galactose and glucose subunits.
Question 2: Mention some properties of lactose.
Answer:
Lactose is a disaccharide sugar whose molecular formula is C12H22O11. It is a white solid that has a mild sweet taste. It is soluble in water and is a non-hygroscopic solid. The molar mass of lactose is 342.297 g/mol and its density is 1.525 g/cm3. It can be detected with the help of Woehlk and Fearon tests.
Question 3: Calculate the molecular weight of lactose.
Answer:
We know that the chemical formula of lactose is C12H22O11.
The atomic mass of a hydrogen atom = 1.00794
The atomic mass of a carbon atom = 12.0107
The atomic mass of an oxygen atom = 15.9994Now,
Molar of Lactose = 12 × 12.0107 + 22 × 1.00794 + 11 × 15.9994
= 144.1284 + 22.17468 + 175.9934
= 342.29648 g/molSo, the molar mass of Lactose is 342.29648 g/mol.
Question 4: Write the reaction of the hydrolysis of lactose.
Answer:
Lactose on hydrolysis with 2% H2SO4 yields 1 mole of D-glucose and 1 mole of D-galactose.
C12H22O11 + H2O → C6H12O6 (glucose) + C6H12O6 (galactose)
Question 5: What are the applications of lactose?
Answer:
Lactose is used as a nutrient in preparing modified milk and is also added to infants’ food to match the composition of human milk. It is used in baked goods and also in fermentation for the production of cheese, yogurt, and sour milk. It is also used as a chromatographic adsorbent in analytical chemistry.
Question 6: How is Lactitol prepared from Lactose?
Answer:
Polyhydric alcohol named lactitol is produced by the catalytic hydrogenation of lactose. Lactose undergoes hydrogenation in the presence of a Raney-Nickel catalyst, which results in the formation of lactitol.
Related Resources
Lactose Formula
Lactose is a type of carbohydrate that is also called milk sugar and lactobiose. It is a disaccharide that is synthesized from galactose and glucose subunits. The “lactase” enzyme breaks lactose into glucose and galactose when it is absorbed in the intestine. It is used in the food industry, bacterial identification, and pharmaceutical industry, and is also used as a nutrient, and cutting agent. It is an essential carbohydrate for infants.