Aldohexose

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Any of a class of simple sugars containing six carbon atoms and an aldehyde group, such as glucose or galactose
2. A six-carbon monosaccharide whose carbonyl group sits at the end of the carbon chain as an aldehyde
3. A hexose sugar classified as an aldose, with its reactive aldehyde functional group at one terminus

Etymology: Aldohexose is a chemist's compound built from three pieces, and each one points to a different era of science. "Hexose" comes from the Greek "hex," meaning six, joined to the "-ose" ending that chemists attached to sugars. The "-ose" itself was lifted from "glucose," a word formed from the Greek "gleukos," meaning sweet wine or must, the sugar that gave the "-ose" its name. A hexose is therefore any simple sugar with six carbon atoms. The "aldo-" prefix is the newer part. It is short for "aldehyde," the family of organic compounds in which a carbon atom is bonded to a hydrogen and a double-bonded oxygen. Joining "aldo-" to "hexose" describes a six-carbon sugar whose carbon chain ends in that aldehyde group, as opposed to a ketohexose, whose carbonyl sits in the middle of the chain. Glucose is the best-known example.