Carbohydrate Note Flashcards
What are organic molecules?
Compounds which contain carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. Can also contain nitrogen, sulphur, and phosphorus.
Carbon can make four bonds usually arranged to give a tetrahedral shape.
What are macromolecules?
Biological molecules that include carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids.
What is a monomer?
Single repeating units that are joined together to form a polymer.
What are carbohydrates commonly referred to as?
Sugars
What are the types of carbohydrates?
- Monosaccharides
- Disaccharides
- Polysaccharides
What is the ratio of elements in carbohydrates?
C, H, and O in the ratio of 1:2:1 (CH2O)n.
What are monosaccharides?
Simple sugars with the general formula (CH2O)
What are the types of monosaccharides based on the number of carbons?
- Triose (n=3)
- Pentose (n=5)
- Hexose (n=6)
What is an isomer?
Molecules with the same chemical formula but different structures.
Give examples of isomers of glucose.
- Glucose (C6H12O6)
- Galactose (C6H12O6)
- Fructose (C6H12O6)
What happens to monosaccharides with 5+ carbons when dissolved in water?
They form ring structures.
What is α-glucose?
Glucose where the hydroxyl group at carbon 1 is below the plane of the ring.
What is β-glucose?
Glucose where the hydroxyl group at carbon 1 is above the plane of the ring.
What are disaccharides?
Sugars containing two simple sugars attached by covalent bonds called glycosidic linkages.
What is the process by which glycosidic linkages form?
Dehydration synthesis (also called condensation reactions).
What is maltose?
A disaccharide held together by a 1,4-glycosidic linkage between two glucose molecules.
What is sucrose?
The most common sugar found in food, made of glucose bonded to fructose.
What is lactose?
A disaccharide found in milk, made of glucose bonded to galactose.
What is a polysaccharide?
Long chains of monosaccharides, usually glucose, used for storage and structure.
What are the two types of starch?
- Amylose
- Amylopectin
What characterizes amylose?
Makes up 20-30% of plant starch, only 1,4-glycosidic linkages, forms a straight helix.
What characterizes amylopectin?
Makes up 70-80% of plant starch, contains some 1,6 linkages, and is branched.
What is glycogen?
How animals (particularly vertebrates) store sugar, with many branches for easy conversion to glucose.
What is cellulose?
Made of chains of β-glucose, the main component of plant cell walls.
