Xylitol vs Erythritol: what is the difference?
Xylitol and erythritol are sugar alcohols one carbon apart; xylitol is about as sweet as sugar and toxic to dogs, while erythritol is less sweet and is not.
Xylitol is one carbon longer, with one more hydroxyl group.
Sources and notes
- The sentence under the titlefrom sourceMoleculeFinder comparison notesThe pair's answer line.
- The two drawingscomputedMoleculeFinder rule (RDKit MCS)Drawn the same way round on the skeleton they share; the amber marks where the two differ.
- The captionfrom sourceMoleculeFinder curated
- What is highlightedfrom sourceMoleculeFinder curatedOne line under each drawing, written from the atoms the amber marks.
- Structural similaritycomputedRDKit Morgan/Tanimoto0.67 of 1, a Morgan fingerprint Tanimoto coefficient. It measures shape, not effect.
Side by side
| Xylitol | Erythritol | |
|---|---|---|
| Molecular weightCalculated PubChem | 152.15 g/molC5H12O5 | 122.12 g/molC4H10O4 |
| Hydrogen-bond donorsCalculated PubChem | 5 | 4 |
| SweetnessMeasured HSDB via PubChem | 1× sugar | 0.6× sugar |
| Against table sugar, which is 1. | ||
| Where each turns upEditorial MoleculeFinder food and product lists |
|
|
| FamilyEditorial MoleculeFinder curated | Sugar alcohols | Sugar alcohols |
| Everyday groupEditorial MoleculeFinder curated | Sweetener | Sweetener |
| Chemical groupsCalculated Found by rule (RDKit) | Alcohols | Alcohols |
| Hazard labelReported ECHA via PubChem | Not recorded | Warning |
| The supplier-filed hazard label's signal word, not a statement about ordinary use. | ||
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
- 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.
- Hazard labelfrom sourceECHA via PubChem
- ECHAfrom sourceAttributionSource: European Chemicals Agency, echa.europa.eu.
- Identifiersfrom sourcePubChemPubChem CID 6912 (Xylitol) and 222285 (Erythritol).
In more detail
Both are used in sugar-free gum and tabletop sweeteners, and the formulas show the one carbon: C5H12O5 against C4H10O4. That single carbon changes what the body does with them. Erythritol is absorbed in the small intestine and excreted largely unchanged, so it reaches the gut bacteria in small amounts and causes less digestive upset; xylitol is fermented further along and is the more likely of the two to cause it. Xylitol is the sweeter, roughly as sweet as sugar, while erythritol lands near 60 percent. One difference is not about people at all: xylitol is dangerously toxic to dogs, and erythritol is not.
Sources and notes
- The paragraphfrom sourceMoleculeFinder comparison notes
Questions
- What is the difference between Xylitol and Erythritol?
- Xylitol and erythritol are sugar alcohols one carbon apart; xylitol is about as sweet as sugar and toxic to dogs, while erythritol is less sweet and is not.
- Is Xylitol bigger than Erythritol?
- Xylitol is the heavier molecule, 152.15 g/mol against 122.12 g/mol for Erythritol. Xylitol is C5H12O5 and Erythritol is C4H10O4.
- Is Xylitol sweeter than Erythritol?
- Xylitol is the sweeter of the two, about 1 times as sweet as table sugar against about 0.6 times for Erythritol. 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.