Sucrose vs Fructose: what is the difference?
Sucrose is table sugar, one glucose joined to one fructose, so fructose is half of it, and fructose on its own tastes sweeter gram for gram.
Sources and notes
- The sentence under the titlefrom sourceMoleculeFinder comparison notesThe pair's answer line.
- The two drawingscomputedMoleculeFinder rule (RDKit MCS)Each molecule's own drawing, as its page shows it. The common core, 2 of 23 atoms, is too small to align on.
Side by side
| Sucrose | Fructose | |
|---|---|---|
| Molecular weightCalculated PubChem | 342.3 g/molC12H22O11 | 180.16 g/molC6H12O6 |
| Hydrogen-bond donorsCalculated PubChem | 8 | 5 |
| SweetnessMeasured HSDB via PubChem; Weber et al. 2025 | 1× sugar | 1.73× sugar |
| Against table sugar, which is 1. | ||
| Where each turns upEditorial MoleculeFinder food and product lists |
Also on our chocolate, citrus, fruit, honey, whipped cream, tabletop Sweetener and 1 more lists | |
| FamilyEditorial MoleculeFinder curated | Sugars | Sugars |
| Everyday groupEditorial MoleculeFinder curated | Sweetener | Sweetener |
| Chemical groupsCalculated Found by rule (RDKit) | Alcohols, Ethers | Alcohols, Ketones |
| Oral LD50Measured HSDB via PubChem | 29,700 mg/kgpure sucrose, rat, oral | Not recorded |
| A single acute animal measure. It ranks nothing about human safety. | ||
Sources and notes
- Molecular weightcomputedPubChemComputed from the structure; the formula is under each weight.
- Hydrogen-bond donorscomputedPubChemThe hydrogens on nitrogen or oxygen that each molecule can lend to a hydrogen bond, counted from its structure.
- Sweetnessfrom sourceHSDB via PubChem; Weber et al. 2025
- Where each turns upfrom sourceMoleculeFinder food and product listsEach amount is an editorial figure from our lists, not a measurement of any one product. Each mark is set by hand on the list, never inferred.
- Familyfrom sourceMoleculeFinder curated
- Everyday groupfrom sourceMoleculeFinder curated
- Chemical groupscomputedFound by rule (RDKit)Each group is found in the structure by a chemical pattern.
- Oral LD50from sourceHSDB via PubChem
- Identifiersfrom sourcePubChemPubChem CID 5988 (Sucrose) and 5984 (Fructose).
In more detail
The bond joining sucrose's two halves is split by the enzyme sucrase in the small intestine. The weights show it, 342.3 for sucrose against 180.16 for fructose, roughly double minus the water lost when the two joined. Sucrose is the reference point for the entire sweetness scale, defined as exactly 1, and fructose is meaningfully sweeter than that. Once swallowed, sucrose is taken apart within minutes, so the difference between eating table sugar and eating its two halves separately is smaller than it looks. Where it does show up is in the mouth: fructose reads sweeter per gram, which is why syrups made from it go further.
Sources and notes
- The paragraphfrom sourceMoleculeFinder comparison notes
Questions
- What is the difference between Sucrose and Fructose?
- Sucrose is table sugar, one glucose joined to one fructose, so fructose is half of it, and fructose on its own tastes sweeter gram for gram.
- Is Sucrose bigger than Fructose?
- Sucrose is the heavier molecule, 342.3 g/mol against 180.16 g/mol for Fructose. Sucrose is C12H22O11 and Fructose is C6H12O6.
- Is Sucrose sweeter than Fructose?
- Fructose is the sweeter of the two, about 1.73 times as sweet as table sugar against about 1 times for Sucrose. Sweetness here is measured against sucrose, which is defined as 1.
Sources and notes
- The answersfrom sourceMoleculeFinderThe first is the pair's answer line; the others are read off the table above.