3.4- Monosaccharides are the simplest carbohydrates

How many carbon atoms do monosaccharides have? What are most common?

-3-7 carbons. -5-carbon sugars (pentoses) and 6-carbon sugars (hexoses) r most common. -In aqueous solutions, most 5- and 6-carbon sugars form rings.

What are carbohydrates?

the class of molecules that range from small sugar molecules, to large polysaccharides, such as the starch molecules in pasta and potatoes.

Why are monosaccharides, especially glucose, so important?

-main fuel molecules for cellular work. -Cells release energy from glucose when they break it down. -Eg: an aqueous solution of glucose may be injected into bloodstream of sick/injured patients coz glucose gives immediate energy to tissues in need of repair. -Cells use carbon skeletons of monosaccharides as raw material for making other kinds of organic molecules, such as amino acids and fatty acids.

What is glucose, and what is its chemical formula? What determines whether the monosaccharide is glucose or fructose? What is the similarity between glucose and fructose?

Glucose= a common monosaccharide. Chemical formula: C6H12O6 -The carbonyl group, depending on its location, makes it either an aldehyde sugar (glucose) or a ketone sugar (fructose). -Glucose and fructose are isomers coz they differ only in arrangement of atoms. Difference makes fructose taste sweeter than glucose.

What are monosaccharides? How can they form more complex sugars and polysaccharides? They generally have molecular formulas that are some multiple of what? What are the 2 trademarks of sugar?

Monosaccharides= simple sugars. The monomers of carbohydrates. -These monomers can form more complex sugars and polysaccharides through dehydration reactions. -Generally have molecular formulas that are some multiple of CH2O. -a number of hydroxyl groups (-OH) and a carbonyl group(>C=O)