Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.
Monosaccharide Structure
Monosaccharides are the simplest form of carbohydrates, consisting of single sugar units. They typically have a backbone of carbon atoms, with hydroxyl groups (-OH) attached, and a carbonyl group (C=O) that can be either an aldehyde or a ketone. The structure can be linear or cyclic, with cyclic forms being more common in solution.
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Optical Activity
Optical activity refers to the ability of a compound to rotate plane-polarized light, which is a characteristic of chiral molecules. A molecule is chiral if it has non-superimposable mirror images, typically due to the presence of one or more asymmetric carbon atoms. If a monosaccharide is not optically active, it suggests that it may have a symmetrical structure, leading to a cancellation of optical activity.
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Molecular Weight and Composition
The molecular weight of a monosaccharide provides insight into its composition and structure. For a monosaccharide with a molecular weight of 150 g/mol, it typically corresponds to a simple sugar with a formula like C₆H₁₂O₆. Understanding the molecular formula helps in deducing the number of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms, which is crucial for determining the specific structure of the monosaccharide.
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