Tags: Chemical Compound, Chemical Substance.
Glycolaldehyde (HOCH2-CH=O) is the smallest possible molecule that contains both an aldehyde group and a hydroxyl group. It is the only possible diose a 2-carbon monosaccharide although a diose is not strictly a saccharide. While not a true sugar it is the simplest sugar-related molecule. Glycolaldehyde is an intermediate in the formose reaction. In the formose reaction two formaldehyde molecules condense to make glycolaldehyde. Glycolaldehyde then is converted to glyceraldehyde.
