Properties:Colorless crystals or white crystalline or granular powder; odorless with sweet taste. D: 1.544, mp: 146°. Sol in water; sltly sol in alc. α Form: (monohydrate) crystals from water. Mp: 83°. α Form: (anhydrous) crystals from hot ethanol or water. Mp: 146°. Very sparingly sol in abs alc, ether, acetone; sol in hot glacial acetic acid, pyridine, aniline. β Form: crystals from hot H2O + ethanol, from dil acetic acid, or from pyridine; mp: 148–155°.
Occurrence:Formed in plants by photosynthesis, also in the blood.