Question

A student is running a test for simple sugars. She places 5 mL of each substance into different test tubes and adds five drops of Benedict’s solution to each tube. None of the tubes change color. Can she safely say there are no simple sugars in any of the substances? Why or Why not?

Answer 1

Answer:

Yes, there would be no sugars present in any of the solutions as no colour change was depicted.

Explanation:

Benedict's solutions can be described as a solution comprising of copper(II) sulphate, sodium carbonate and sodium citrate. This reagent is used for testing the presence of carbohydrates or reducing sugars in a solution.

A series of colour changes is seen in the Benedict's test if a solution has sugars present in it. Initially, the colour is changed from blue to green, then orange/yellow. And in the end, the solution acquires a brick red colour.

In the scenario discussed in the question, no colour change is depicted in any of the test tubes. Hence, there would be no sugar present any of the solutions.