Talose

Definition
noun
An aldohexose monosaccharide that is C-2 epimeric with galactose
Supplement
Monosaccharides are the simplest form of carbohydrates. They may be classified based on the number of constituent carbon atoms. For instance, hexose is a monosaccharide with six carbon atoms. They may be further classified based on the functional group present. An aldose is a sugar with an aldehyde functional group whereas a ketose is a sugar with a ketone functional group. Talose is one of the hexose monosaccharides and it belongs to the aldoses.
Talose (particularly D- talose) is used as a substrate in identifying and characterization of ribose-5-phosphate isomerases of Clostridia.¹ D-Talose is a C-2 epimer of galactose. Galactose is an aldohexose similar to glucose in terms of chemical structure. This means that they have similar chemical formula: C₆H₁₂O₆. Galactose does not occur in free state and is usually found as a constituent of complex biomolecules (e.g. lactose, galactan). Talose is an unnatural monosaccharide. It is soluble in water and slightly soluble in methanol.²
Talose is also an epimer of mannose at C-4. Mannose is a hexose monosaccharide that belongs to the aldoses.
IUPAC name:

• (3S,4S,5R,6R)-6-(Hydroxymethyl)oxane-2,3,4,5-tetrol

Chemical formula:

C₆H₁₂O₆

See also:

• monosaccharide
• galactose
• mannose
• stereoisomer

Reference(s):

¹ D-talose. (n.d.). Sigma-Aldrich. Retrieved from http://www.sigmaaldrich.com/catalog/search/ProductDetail/SIGMA/86265

² Talose. (n.d.). Wikipedia.org. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talose