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Lactose

Lactose is a disaccharide consisting of the monomers glucose and galactose. It is found naturally in milk.

Lactose is made from a galactose and a glucose monomer connected by a glycosidic bond. Both glucose and galactose have the chemical formula, C 6, H 12, O 6, and they are in the 6 membered ring forms. The 6-membered ring form of galactose is made of carbons 1 to 5, with oxygen between carbon 1 and carbon 5. The OH group at carbon 2 points down. The O H groups at carbon 3 and 4, and the C H 2 O H group at carbon 5, point up. The 6-membered ring form of glucose is made of carbons 1 to 5, with oxygen between carbon 1 and carbon 5. The OH group at carbon 2 points down. The O H groups at carbons 1 and 3, and the C H 2 O H group at carbon 5, point up. The glycosidic bond goes from carbon 1 in galactose to oxygen, to carbon 4 in glucose. The carbon 1 to oxygen bond points up.

Figure 1: Chemical structure of lactose.

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Disaccharides