Carbohydrates are one of the main biomolecules in organisms. They are made up of monosaccharides, the monomer units of carbohydrates. Monosaccharides share a common chemical formula consisting of carbons, hydrogens, and oxygens, and there are two types based on the different functional groups. An aldose such as glucose contains an aldehyde at the end of the carbon chain, while a ketose such as fructose has a ketone group within the chain. These monosaccharides have different properties because of these differing structures. Monosaccharides with four or more carbons are mainly rings. A ring forms through a reaction between a hydroxyl group and carbonyl carbon, resulting in a chiral anomeric carbon. Depending on the orientation of the hydrogen in the produced ring, the ring has either an alpha or beta conformation. Monosaccharides are then connected by glycosidic bonds, which form through the dehydration reaction between the anomeric carbon and a hydroxyl group. Since they are formed through dehydration, glycosidic bonds are also broken through hydrolysis. Longer chains of monosaccharides are referred to as polysaccharides.
Recent comments