Talk:Optical rotation

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Fixed: The discussion regarding invert sugar contains several errors. Levulose is another name for fructose, not sucrose. Sucrose, like glucose, is dextrorotatory (rotates the plane of polarization to the right). Fructose (levulose) is even more strongly levorotatory than glucose is dextrorotatory. Thus, an equal mixture of glucose and fructose (such as would be produced by hydrolysis of sucrose) will rotate polarization to the left. The term "invert sugar" for such a mixture does indeed derive from the change in rotation that accompanies the hydrolysis, but the change is from right to left, not left to right.

This article was not general enough (mainly giving a chemist's view of optical activity). I have edited it and added a physical explanation of the phenomenon.--J S Lundeen 19:00, 1 April 2006 (UTC)

Thanks for the expansion. Good to have this info! DMacks 16:40, 3 April 2006 (UTC)