LEV'ULOSE, a variety of glucose, differing from ordinary glucose or dextrose by the property of turning the plane of polarization of light to the left (whence its name) instead of to the right, as in dextrose. A mixture of these two sugars constitutes fruit sugar or, as sometimes called, invert sugar, which also possesses left-hand rotation, because of the excess of left-handed power of the levulose constituent.. Cane sugar may he inverted or transformed into a mixture of dextrose and levulose by warming it with dilute acids, or by the addition of yeast or diastase. To separate the levulose the fruit sugar is mixed with slaked lime and water. A solid compound of levulosc and cal cium is formed, the dextrose remaining in solution, allowing the precipitate to be removed. which, when suspended in water, may be decomposed by carbolic acid gas, by which means pure leyulose is separated, carbonate of lime being formed as an insoluble precipitate. The solution containing the levulose may be concentrated by evaporation. Levulose is formed also by the action of dilute acids on inulin. It is a colorless, uncrystallizable syrup, having the sweetness of cane sugar, and exhibiting most of the reactions of dextrose, but is more soluble in alcohol. Its rotatory power at ordinary temperatures is much greater than that of dextrose, but diminishes as the temperature rises, while the rotatory power of dextrose is the same at all temperatures. See
GLUCOSE.
LEVY (Fr. levee) is the compulsory raising of a body of troops from any specified class in the community for purposes of general defense or offense. When a country is in danger of instant invasion, a levee en inasse is sometimes made—i.e., every man capa ble of bearing arms is required to contribute in person towards the common defense. On less urgent occasions, the levy may be restricted to a class, as to men between 18 and 40 years of age. At other times, a levy of so many thousand men of a certain age is decreed, and the districts concerned draw them by lot from among their eligible male population. In armies sustained by volunteering, the levy, which is a remnant of bar barous times, is unnecessary; but the system was frequently resorted to in France before the enactment of the conscription laws: 1862 has shown great levies in the United States of America; and in any country where great danger is apparent, and volunteers are not sufficiently numerous, recourse must at all times be had to a levy of the people.