Breaking Down Sucrose Using Invertase
Description: The disaccharide sucrose can be broken down into its component monosaccharide subunits using enzyme invertase. The resulting monomers are reducing sugars which form a brick red precipitate when it is heated with Fehling’s solution.
Source: Kristin Johnson
Year: 1999 Vol: N/A Page: N/A
Keywords: Sucrose, Invertase, Monosaccharide, Precipitate, Fehling’s solution
Rating: 
Hazard: Some
- Electric shock hazard
- Acute toxicity hazard
- Acute aquatic toxicity hazard
- Skin corrosion hazard
- Serious eye damage
- Corrosive to metals
- Burn hazard
Effectiveness: Good
- Results are clearly observable without guidance
- Good connection from demo to course material
- Time to results is medium
- Moderate failure rate
- Primary observations
Difficulty: Medium
- Some concerted or timed manipulations
- Use of reactive substances
- Reaction of demos at non-standard conditions
- Multi-step procedures
Safety Precautions:
- Eye protection required
- Gloves required
- Thermal gloves recommended
- Tongs recommended
- Use of UL approved three-prong plug and outlet
- Absorbent materials on hand
- Sodium bicarbonate on hand
- Prevent release of reagents to the environment
Class: Biochemistry, Precipitation Reactions, Redox
Division: General, Biological Chemistry
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