1747 - Glucose was first recognized by Andreas Marggraf a German chemist and member of the Royal Academy of Science and Literature of Berlin. He accomplished this discovery by isolating the molecule from raisins. Using a couple different chemical extraction techniques he was able to remove a white powder from the raisins which he described to be slightly less sweet than table sugar. Raisins are made up of about 28% glucose making it easy for him to extract a sizable amount for his experiment.
1838 - It was not until that it was named Glucose by Jean Dumas. A french chemist of the mid nineteenth century, whose attributions to glucose end at naming, decided on the name glucose after the Greek word "glycos" which means "sweet". Taking the route word and adding the suffix -ose implied that the substance is a sugar. Marggraf had not provided any name except the description of the white powder being sweet which lead Dumas to the name.
Early 1900's - The two types of structures where discovered by Emil Fischer. He was an organic chemist from Germany who was a major contributor in his field. He was the first to determine that D- glucose (occuring naturally) could be found in two ring forms as well as a straight line, now known as Cyclical and Linear forms. It also is characterized by plane-polarized light rotating from left to right. He then found that L- glucose (non natural glucose) is characterized by plane-polarized light rotating from right to left. The differentiated the two forms from each other more than anyone had ever realized.
1838 - It was not until that it was named Glucose by Jean Dumas. A french chemist of the mid nineteenth century, whose attributions to glucose end at naming, decided on the name glucose after the Greek word "glycos" which means "sweet". Taking the route word and adding the suffix -ose implied that the substance is a sugar. Marggraf had not provided any name except the description of the white powder being sweet which lead Dumas to the name.
Early 1900's - The two types of structures where discovered by Emil Fischer. He was an organic chemist from Germany who was a major contributor in his field. He was the first to determine that D- glucose (occuring naturally) could be found in two ring forms as well as a straight line, now known as Cyclical and Linear forms. It also is characterized by plane-polarized light rotating from left to right. He then found that L- glucose (non natural glucose) is characterized by plane-polarized light rotating from right to left. The differentiated the two forms from each other more than anyone had ever realized.