A simple commercial blood glucose meter is used to follow the kinetics of mutarotation of D-glucose in aqueous solution. The results may be compared with those obtained using an automatic polarimeter, if this is available This experiment is proposed for use by students in a general chemistry, biology, organic chemistry, and physical chemistry laboratory at the college level. It can also be used as an alternative technique to the classical methods that use relatively expensive equipment, which are not always accessible to students. The technique of indirect measurement of the kinetics of mutarotation of D-glucose through an enzymatic redox reaction also provides an example of the chemical and kinetic approaches to the mutarotation phenomenon and the principle of enzymatic stereospecificity. The test strips of the blood glucose meter contain glucose dehydrogenase, an enzyme specific for the anomer of D-glucose in solution.
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Experimetal procedure and post-laboratory questions; Instructor notes
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