Carbohydrates Flashcards
Carbohydrates are highly oxidisable or not l
Yes they are
Carbohydrate functions
Structure in cell walls and ECM of animal cells. Store energy as starch in plants and glycogen in animals. Cell to cell communication eg ABO blood groups
Types of monosaccharides
Glucose fructose galactose
Disaccharide
Formed from monomers that are linked by glycosidic bonds
Glycosidic bonds
Covalent bond formed between hydroxyl group and anomeric carbon of different monosaccharide
Anomeric carbon
Anomers are mirror images of each other( left and right handed forms ). Stabilises the structure of glucose. Only residue that can be oxidised
Types of disaccharide
Maltose lactose sucrose
Sucrose is a reducing sugar true or false and why
False because no free anomeric carbon
Polysaccharides
Polymers of medium to high molecular weight
Types of polysaccharides
Homopolysaccharides - single monomer species
Heteropolysaccharides- have two or more monomer species
Starch contains
Amylose mainly straight and amylopectin (75% of it) (got alpha 1-4 chains and 1-6 chains). Non reducing ends
What is more extensively branched glycogen or starch
Glycogen
Glycogen is in what part of the body
Liver (replenish blood) and skeletal muscle (produces atp for contraction)
Why store glucose in polymers
Compactness, have lots of non reducing ends so can be readily synthesised and degraded, form hydrated gels and not rlly in solution - omsotically inactive
What do carbohydrates attached to proteins do
Communication between cells, protect it from degradation, influence folding, increase solubility