Ag NPs produced are characteristics of monosaccharide. ((a), top panel) Image of colloidal mixtures containing Ag NPs after a solution AgNO₃ (0.05 M) and indicated monosaccharide (0.5 M) following 10 s of microwaving in a household microwave oven. Bright colors were observed for fructose and ribose, dark grey colors for galactose and xylose, and light grey colors for glucose and sorbose. ((a), bottom panel) Image of the tubes in (a) following 20 h incubation at room temperature in the dark. Ag NPs formed during reaction have settled to the bottom of the tube, allowing for easy collection (arrow). (b) UV-VIS spectra of the colloidal mixtures containing Ag NPs formed in reactions of AgNO₃ (0.05 M) and sugar monosaccharides (0.5 M) immediately after microwaving against blanks containing the same concentration of AgNO₃ and respective sugar mixed prior to use, but without microwaving: (1) galactose, 534 nm; (2) ribose, 296 nm; (3) fructose, 441 nm; (4) glucose, 559 nm; and (5) xylose, 436 nm. Inset shows SEM images of the Ag NPs collected from the reaction mixtures with glucose (A) and ribose (B), the longest and shortest SPR, respectively.