D-Glucose Monohydrate: The Crystalline Form of Dextrose

CAS Registry Number: 5996-10-1

Overview

D-Glucose monohydrate (also known as Dextrose monohydrate or α-D-Glucose monohydrate) is the crystalline form of glucose containing one molecule of water of crystallization. It appears as colorless or white crystalline powder with a sweet taste and is odorless. This compound is the most common commercial form of glucose and serves as a fundamental carbohydrate in numerous applications.

Physical and Chemical Properties

• Appearance: Colorless or white crystalline powder

• Melting Point: 83°C (for the monohydrate form); anhydrous form decomposes at 146.5°C

• Boiling Point: 410.8°C at 760 mmHg

• Density: 1.54–1.56 g/cm³

• Solubility: Freely soluble in water (1 g/1.1 ml water at 25°C), slightly soluble in ethanol (96%), insoluble in ether and acetone

• Specific Optical Rotation: +52.5° to +53.0° (for analytical grade)

• pH Range: 4.0–6.5 (in aqueous solution)

Major Applications

Food and Beverage Industry

D-Glucose monohydrate is widely used as a sweetener in bakery, beverages, confectionery, cakes, pastries, soups, sauces, ice cream, and seasonings. It serves as a humectant and quality improver due to its moderate sweetness and rapid absorption by the human body.

Pharmaceutical Industry

• Used as a wet granulation diluent and binder in tablet formulations

• Serves as a direct compression tablet diluent and binder, particularly in chewable tablets

• Raw material for oral rehydration solutions and nutritional preparations

• Used in glucose injections and glucose-sodium chloride injections

Biotechnology and Research

• Standard carbohydrate source in molecular biology studies

• Substrate in glycolysis and cellular respiration research

• Carbon source for microbial growth and fermentation studies

• Used in osmolarity regulation experiments in cell culture systems

• Component in biological culture media preparation

Other Industrial Uses

• Raw material for sorbitol production via hydrogenation

• Metal reducing agent

• Complexing agent for boric acid titration in microanalysis

• Used in food science research to study effects on product properties and shelf life

Grades and Quality

D-Glucose monohydrate is available in multiple grades:

• Food Grade: For food processing and vegetable preservation applications

• Pharmaceutical Grade: As raw/auxiliary materials for oral medicines

• Analytical Reagent (AR) and Chemical Pure (CP): For laboratory applications with specified purity standards

Typical specifications for food grade include glucose content ≥99.0% (dry basis), moisture ≤10.0%, and pH 4.0–6.5.

Safety and Handling

Storage Conditions

• Store in sealed, airtight containers

• Keep in a cool, dry, well-ventilated warehouse

• Protect from direct sunlight and heat sources

• Keep away from fire and oxidizing agents

Handling Precautions

• Use with adequate ventilation

• Avoid dust formation during handling

• Operate with mechanized and automated systems where possible

• In case of fire, use water, foam, carbon dioxide, or sand for extinguishing