Galactose

one of most frequently meeting in nature hexatomic alcohols - hexoses. It is differed from glucose in terms of the three-dimensional arrangement of groups in the 4th atom of carbon. G. is well water-soluble, it is bad in alcohol. There exists into atsiklich. and cyclic (pyranose or furanose) forms, which are been in tautomeric (see tautomerism) equilibrium:

In the cloths of plants g. enters into the composition of raffinose, melibiose, stachyose, and also into polysaccharides - galactan, pectic substances, saponin, different gums and mucuses, gum arabic, etc. In the organism of the animals and human g. - component part of the lactose (milk sugar), galaktogena, gruppospetsifich. of polysaccharides, cerebrosides and mukoproteidov. G. enters in mn. bacterial polysaccharides and can ferment Vol. n. by lactose yeast(s). In animals it raises, cloths g. easily it is converted into the glucose, which better is mastered, it can be converted into the ascorbic and galacturonic acid. L. L. Khachatryan.