Biologcal Molecules - Carbohydrates Flashcards
Carbohydrates are made up of what three elements?
Carbon
Hydrogen
Oxygen
What is carbohydrate structure based on?
Units, monomers, which can join together to form diners & polymers
What is the monomer (single unit) of carbohydrates?
The monosaccharide
Monomer =
Dimer =
Polysaccharide =
Monosaccharide
Disaccharide
Polymer
Explain sugars within carbohydrates
They are monosaccharides and disaccharides
Their characteristics is tasting sweet and being soluble in water
What are complex carbohydrates within carbohydrates?
Polysaccharides
Their characteristics are being not sweet tasting and being insoluble in water
Give examples of monosaccharides
A glucose, B glucose, fructose, Ribose & deoxyribose
(Only need to fully know about A glucose and Ribose)
Why is glucose the most important carbohydrate in our bodies?
Because it is used by the cells as a respiratory substrate.
This means it is gradually broken down, inside cells, to release energy
Why is glucose an example of a hexose sugar?
Because it has 6 carbon atoms
What are the two isomers of glucose?
Alpha glucose and Beta glucose
(Fructose is also an isomer of glucose)
What’s an isomer?
Two molecules with the same molecular formula but differ structurally
what are the structural rules to remember or monosaccharides?
- 6 carbon atoms
- at carbon atom 1, hydrogen is Above for Alpha (whereas Beta hydrogen is Below)
- Fructose is still a hexose even though it is not a “hexagon” based shape because it has 6 carbon atoms
Why are glucose molecules polar & soluble in water ?
Due to the hydrogen bonds that form between the hydroxyl groups and water molecules.
The solubility in water is important because it means glucose is dissolved in the cytosol of the cell
What are Penrose sugars & give examples
Sugars with 5 carbons
Very important ones are ribose and deoxyribose
Go draw the Alpha glucose structure
(Answer in biology book online)
Go draw the structure of ribose
(Answer in the biology book)
where is ribose found?
In the RNA (ribonucleic acid)
What are the differences between ribose and deoxyribose?
- when compared with deoxyribose it can be seen that there is a difference at carbon 2
- deoxyribose has a hydrogen atom instead of a hydroxyl group at C2 - it has one less oxygen atom
- compared to ribose it it deoxygenated - hence the term deoxyribose
- deoxyribose is the sugar found in DNA : (deoxyribonucleic acid)