Glucose

Glucose is a sugar with the molecular formula C₆H₁₂O₆. The name "glucose" (/ˈɡluːkoʊs/) comes from the Greek word γλυκος, meaning "sweet wine, must". The suffix "-ose" is a chemical classifier, denoting a carbohydrate. It is also known as grape sugar. With 6 carbon atoms, it is classed as a hexose, a sub-category of monosaccharides. α-D-glucose is one of the 16 aldose stereoisomers. The D-isomer (D-glucose), also known as dextrose, occurs widely in nature, but the L-isomer (L-glucose) does not. Glucose is made during photosynthesis from water and carbon dioxide, using energy from sunlight. The reverse of the photosynthesis reaction, which releases this energy, is a very important source of power for cellular respiration. Glucose is stored as a polymer, in plants as starch and in animals as glycogen, for times when the organism will need it. Glucose circulates in the blood of animals as blood sugar. Glucose can be obtained by hydrolysis of carbohydrates such as milk, cane sugar, maltose, cellulose, glycogen etc. It is however, manufactured by hydrolysis of cornstarch by steaming and diluting acid.

Intravenous sugar solution

An intravenous sugar solution is a solution with a sugar (usually glucose, as known as dextrose, with water as the solvent) used for intravenous therapy, where it may function both as a means of maintaining tissue hydration and a means of parenteral nutrition. Most IV sugar solutions are crystalloid solutions.

Types

Types of glucose/dextrose include:

The percentage is a mass percentage, so a 5% glucose/dextrose solution contains 50 g/L of glucose/dextrose (Quite simply, 5% dextrose means the solution contains 5g/100ml of solution).

Glucose provides energy 4 kcal/gram, so a 5% glucose solution provides 0.2 kcal/ml. If prepared from dextrose monohydrate, which provides 3.4 kcal/gram, a 5% solution provides 0.17 kcal/ml.