Biological Molecules 2 - Carbohydrates and Glucose Flashcards
What elements do carbohydrates contain?
Carbon, Hydrogen and Oxygen
What are the main functions of carbohydrates?
1.Storage and release of energy
2. Cellular structures
How many bonds does each element of carbohydrates form?
Carbon - 4
Oxygen - 2
Hydrogen - 1
What is meant by the singular term ‘saccharide’?
It is another term meant for sugar.
What are the three classes of carbohydrate?
Monosaccharide - monomers which form the building blocks for larger carbohydrates such as glucose
Disaccharide - 2 monosaccharides joined together by glycosidic bonds during a condensation reaction such as lactose, maltose and sucrose
Polysaccharide - Large complex carbohydrates formed form very large numbers of monosaccharides joined by glycosidic bonds
What is the general formula of monosaccharides?
Cn H2n On
If n = 3 then the sugar is…
triose
If n = 5 then the sugar is…
Pentose
Why is glucose considered a hexose sugar?
It has 6 carbons.
Draw the structure of alpha glucose, and then the structure of beta glucose.
https://alevelbiology.co.uk/notes/biological-compounds/
What is meant by the term isomer?
Molecules which have the same general formula but have different arrangement of atoms such as alpha and beta glucose.
What is the difference between alpha and beta glucose?
On carbon 1 of alpha glucose the OH is pointed downwards whereas on beta glucose, the 1st carbon has the OH pointed upwards.
What are other examples of hexose monosaccharides other than glucose?
Galactose and Fructose - they are also isomers as they have the same general formula but different arrangement.
Do you recognise the structure of fructose and galactose? Try to familiarise yourself with them.
https://stock.adobe.com/uk/images/2d-vector-set-the-molecular-structure-of-the-dietary-monosaccharides-n-glucose-fructose-galactose-molecules-isolated-on-white-background-monosaccharides-simple-sugars-monomers-of-carbohydrates/437754716
What is a property of monosaccharides?
They are small in size and soluble in water so they can easily dissolve inside a cell and are easily transported in the bloodstream of animals.