La glucosa es un monosacárido con fórmula molecular C6H12O6. Es una hexosa, es decir, contiene 6 átomos de carbono, y es una aldosa, esto es, el grupo carbonilo está en el extremo de la molécula (es un grupo aldehído). Es una forma de azúcar que se encuentra libre en las frutas y en la miel. Su rendimiento energético es de 3,75 kilocalorías por cada gramo en condiciones estándar. Es un isómero de la fructosa, con diferente posición relativa de los grupos -OH y =O. La aldohexosa glucosa posee dos enantiómeros, si bien la D-glucosa es predominante en la naturaleza. En terminología de la industria alimentaria suele denominarse dextrosa (término procedente de «glucosa dextrorrotatoria») a este compuesto.

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Glucose is a sugar with the molecular formula C6H12O6. Glucose circulates in the blood of animals as blood sugar. Glucose is made during photosynthesis from water and carbon dioxide, using energy from sunlight. The reverse of the photosynthesis reaction, which releases this energy, is an important source of power for cellular respiration. Glucose is stored as a polymer, in plants as starch and in animals as glycogen, for times when the organism will need it. With 6 carbon atoms, it is classed as a hexose, a sub-category of monosaccharides. D-glucose is one of the 16 aldohexose stereoisomers. The D-isomer (D-glucose), also known as dextrose, occurs widely in nature, but the L-isomer (L-glucose) does not. Glucose can be obtained by hydrolysis of carbohydrates such as milk sugar, cane sugar, maltose, cellulose, glycogen etc. It is commonly commercially manufactured from cornstarch by hydrolysis via pressurized steaming at controlled pH in a jet followed by further enzymatic depolymerization. In 1747, Andreas Marggraf was the first to isolate glucose. It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines, the most important medications needed in a basic health system. The name "glucose" (/ˈɡluːkoʊz/, /ˈɡluːkoʊs/) comes from the Greek word γλυκός, meaning "sweet wine, must". The suffix "-ose" is a chemical classifier, denoting a carbohydrate.

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