Structure via PubChem · Public domain (PubChem)
L-xylulose
Sign in to saveAlso known as L-Xul, L-threo-pent-2-ulose, (3R,4S)-1,3,4,5-tetrahydroxypentan-2-one
Xylulose is a ketopentose, a monosaccharide containing five carbon atoms, and including a ketone functional group. It has the chemical formula . In nature, it occurs in both the L- and D-enantiomers. 1-Deoxyxylulose is a precursor to terpenes via the DOXP pathway. == Pathology == L-Xylulose accumulates in the urine in patients with pentosuria, due to a deficiency in L-xylulose reductase. Since L-xylulose is a reducing sugar like D-glucose, pentosuria patients have been wrongly diagnosed in the past to be diabetic.
Chemical data
- Formula
- C5H10O5
- Molecular weight
- 150.13 g/mol
- IUPAC name
- (3R,4S)-1,3,4,5-tetrahydroxypentan-2-one
- SMILES
- C([C@@H]([C@H](C(=O)CO)O)O)O
- InChIKey
- ZAQJHHRNXZUBTE-WVZVXSGGSA-N
- XLogP
- -2.6
- Polar surface area
- 98 Ų
- H-bond donors
- 4
- H-bond acceptors
- 5
- Formal charge
- 0
via PubChem
Research
170 papers- L-xylulose, a new versatile rare sugar: recent biosynthetic advances and challenges.Food research international (Ottawa, Ont.) · 2026
- Dicarbonyl/l-xylulose reductase (DCXR): The multifunctional pentosuria enzyme.The international journal of biochemistry & cell biology · 2013
- C11orf54 catalyzes L-xylulose formation in human metabolism.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2025
- Advances in applications, metabolism, and biotechnological production of L-xylulose.Applied microbiology and biotechnology · 2016
- Green biotechnological synthesis of rare sugars/alcohols: D-allulose, allitol, D-tagatose, L-xylulose, L-ribose.Food research international (Ottawa, Ont.) · 2025
via PubMed
Wikidata facts
- Has part
- hydrogen
- Mass
- 150.052823
Show 5 more facts
- chemical formula
- C₅H₁₀O₅
- subject has role
- primary metabolite
- canonical SMILES
- C(C(C(C(=O)CO)O)O)O
- isomeric SMILES
- C([C@@H]([C@H](C(=O)CO)O)O)O
- found in taxon
- Escherichia coli
via Wikidata · CC0
~1 min read
Encyclopedic overview
2 sectionsContents
- Pathology
- References
Xylulose is a ketopentose, a monosaccharide containing five carbon atoms, and including a ketone functional group. It has the chemical formula . In nature, it occurs in both the L- and D-enantiomers. 1-Deoxyxylulose is a precursor to terpenes via the DOXP pathway. == Pathology == L-Xylulose accumulates in the urine in patients with pentosuria, due to a deficiency in L-xylulose reductase. Since L-xylulose is a reducing sugar like D-glucose, pentosuria patients have been wrongly diagnosed in the past to be diabetic.
== References ==
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “L-xylulose” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.