Dextroglucose

/ˌdɛkstroʊˈɡluːkoʊs/ noun

Definition

Another name for glucose, also called dextrose, which is a simple sugar that rotates light to the right.

Etymology

From dexter- 'right' and glucose. The prefix 'dextro-' refers to the molecular property of rotating polarized light clockwise, discovered in the 1800s.

Kelly Says

Glucose got its 'dextro' name because scientists realized it twists light beams to the right—a molecule's ability to spin light is called optical rotation, and it tells chemists about the molecule's 3D shape!

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