Zuckerohgruppen

Zuckerohgruppen is a term used in German-language carbohydrate chemistry to denote the hydroxyl substituents attached to sugar molecules. In essence, it refers to the collection of -OH groups that decorate monosaccharides and, by extension, the sugar moieties in larger carbohydrates. The term highlights the functional role of these groups in solubility, reactivity, and intermolecular interactions. In English-language literature, the concept is usually described as sugar hydroxyl groups or hydroxyl substituents of carbohydrates.

Monosaccharides such as glucose possess multiple hydroxyl groups distributed on carbon atoms; hexoses typically have five hydroxyl groups, while the anomeric position may bear an -OH in the hemiacetal/open-chain form or be involved in a glycosidic linkage. Pentoses have four to five, depending on their form. These -OH groups participate in hydrogen bonding, determine polarity and solubility, and serve as sites for chemical modification, including esterification and glycosylation.

Biologically, Zuckerohgruppen are central to glycosylation of proteins and lipids, recognition by enzymes and lectins, and the formation of glycosidic linkages in polysaccharides. Protecting group strategies in carbohydrate synthesis rely on selective manipulation of specific hydroxyl groups, illustrating their distinct chemical reactivity despite structural similarity.

The term appears in some German texts, but it is not a universal standard; more common expressions include Zuckerhydroxylgruppen or simply sugar hydroxyl groups.

See also: Carbohydrate, Glycosidic bond, Glycosylation, Hydroxyl group.