C1fructose

C1fructose is not a standard term in carbohydrate chemistry. When used, it typically refers to a fructose molecule in which the carbon-1 atom is isotopically labeled, most often with 13C or 14C, for tracing its fate in biochemical processes.

Fructose is a ketohexose with the carbonyl group at C-2 in the linear form. In solution, it cyclizes predominantly to fructofuranose forms, with smaller amounts of fructopyranose. Carbon-1 in fructose is the exocyclic CH2OH group; labeling this carbon labels the terminal carbon that becomes part of downstream triose phosphates during metabolism, such as dihydroxyacetone phosphate and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate, after phosphorylation and cleavage.

Applications of C1-labeled fructose are mainly in metabolic tracing and isotopic labeling studies. The 13C-labeled variant is used in nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectrometry to quantify carbon flux through glycolytic and hepatic pathways, while 14C-labeled fructose has been used in older tracer experiments to measure uptake and incorporation into various biomolecules.

Synthesis and availability: isotopically labeled fructose at C1 can be produced by enzymatic or chemical methods that introduce an isotope at the terminal carbon, often starting from labeled precursors. Such labeled molecules are sold by specialized suppliers for research purposes; handling of radioactive labels (14C) requires appropriate safety and regulatory compliance.