Can someone please explain the difference between reducing and non-reducing sugars?

The anomeric OH group isn't an alcohol, it is a hemiacetal. This makes it MUCH easier to oxidize than a regular alcohol group. Thus, the other OH groups are unreactive.

Change between reducing Sugar and Non-reducing sugar is in its constitution. Lowering sugars have a aldehyde crew or carbonyl functional crew, which can also be diminished to -OH workforce by chemical reaction. Some sugars like Fructose get re-organized in special conditions like alkaline pH, and type a compound that is reducible. Most common reducing retailers to decide this nature are Tollen's reagent, Fehling's reagent, Benedict's reagent, and many others. Maltose has an aldehyde group in them, and for this reason it's a lowering sugar. Non-decreasing sugars do not minimize the above considering of absence of an aldehyde crew. (E.G. Sucrose) Fructose does no longer have an aldehyde crew, yet it's lowering, because it will get rearranged to the decreasing glucose in normal solution.