2 carbohydrate Flashcards
what are the 4 major functions of carbohydrates?
- Oxidation of carbohydrate is the central energy-yielding pathway
- insoluble carbo polymers serve structural and protective elements (cell walls of bacteria and plants and connective tissues in animals)
- some carbo polymers lubricate skeletal joints
- others covalently attach to proteins and lipids as a signal to determine the location + fate
What are the 3 classes of carbohydrates?
monosaccharides
oligosaccharides
polysaccharides
what are monosaccharides? what is the most abundant?
simple sugars with a single unit
d-glucose or dextrose
most of them have a sweet taste
what are oligosaccharides? what is most abundant?
short chain of monosaccharide units 2-10
disaccharides with 2 monosaccharide units (e.g. sucrose = D-glucose and D-fructose)
What are polysaccharides?
more than 20 mono units
some are linear (cellulose) some are branched (glycogen)
What are both glycogen and cellulose made up of?
both are made up of recurring units of D-glucose
are monosaccharides water soluble?
yes
what is monosaccharides molecular formula
(CH2O)n
N>=3
what are the 2 families of monosaccharides
aldoses - carbonyl group at the end of the carbon chain
ketose - carbonyl group at any other position
How can monosaccharides occur as cyclic structures?
if they have 5 or more carbon atoms in the backbone
the carbonyl group forms a covalent bond with the oxygen of a hydroxyl group along the chain
How bond forms disaccharides?
glycosidic bond - for sugars
What are most carbohydrates in nature found as?
polysaccharides
What are homopolysaccharides and heteropolysaccharides?
homo - only one type of monomer
heteropolysaccharides - 2 or more diff type of monomer
What are 5 homopolymers?
- amylose
- amylopectin
- glycogen
- cellulose
- chitin
What makes up starch
starch contains 2 types of glucose polymers
* amylose - long unbranched
* amylopectin - highly branched α1-6 linkers
all with glucose residues
what homopolysaccharides stores fuel?
starch and glycogen
What is the main storage polysaccharide of animal cells?
glycogen
Compare amylopectin to glycogen
glycogen is highly branched, but more extensively branched and more compact (also branch poitns with α1-6 linkers)