Polarized light passing through a sugar solution is rotated. A polarimeter allows us to measure the size and direction of the rotation.
A glucose solution rotates the plane to the right.
The specific rotation of glucose is +52.6°.
Glucose is an equilibrium mixture of 2 enantiomers.
 |
 |
| a-D-glucose (a-D-glucopyranose) | b-D-glucose (b-D-glucopyranose) |
| specific rotation: +112.2° | specific rotation: +18.° |
