Carbohydrates Review Project Flashcards
What are carbohydrates?
Carbohydrates are one of the four major groups of macromolecules and are made from carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen in a 1:2:1 ratio. Carbs include sugars, starches, and other polymers of sugars. Carbs are grouped into 3 main categories.
How are carbohydrates classified?
The building block or monomer of carbs are saccharides. Carbohydrates are classified by how many saccharides they have. Monosaccharides have only one saccharide, disaccharides have two, and polysaccharides have multiple.
What are monosaccharides?
Monosaccharides, also known as simple sugars, are one sugar molecules. Some important types of monosaccharides include glucose, galactose, and fructose (commonly found in fruit) which can be differentiated due to their carbonyl groups and length of the carbon skeleton.
What purpose do monosaccharides serve?
Monosaccharides provide nutrients to the cell through the process of cellular respiration. Once broken down the carbon skeletons serve as the foundation for building other molecules such as amino acids. Any left over monosaccharides not used for other purposes are used to form disaccharides and polysaccharides.
What are disaccharides?
Disaccharides consist of two monosaccharides joined together by a glycosidic linkage. Some important disaccharides are sucrose (table sugar), lactose (found in milk), and maltose (used to make beer).
What purpose do disaccharides serve?
Sucrose is used in plants to transport sugars from one part of the plant to another. Some disaccharides are involved in cell recognition. They also serve as a nutritional source to many different animals and plants.
What are polysaccharides?
Polysaccharides are polymers with a few hundred to thousands of monosaccharides bonded by glycosidic linkages. Polysaccharides serve different purposes such as storage and structure. Some important types include starch, cellulose, and glycogen.
What are storage polysaccharides in plants?
Plants store sugars for later use in the form of storage polysaccharides. Plants store starch, a polymer of glucose, within their cells. The plant can later extract energy from the starch by hydrolysis.
What are storage polysaccharides in animals?
Most animals can store starch and have enzymes that can hydrolyze plant starch which makes the glucose available for nutrients. Some starches include potatoes, grains, corn, rice, etc. Animals store glycogen, another polymer of glucose. Glycogen is hydrolyzed when the demand for glucose increases.
What is cellulose?
Cellulose is a structural polysaccharide and is a major component of the rigid plant cell walls. It is also the most abundant organic compound on earth. Cellulose groups into microfibrils which is a strong building material and is a major component of paper. It also serves as important insoluble fiber to humans and other animals.
What is chitin?
Chitin is a structural polysaccharide that is used by arthropods to build their skeletons and is found in the cell walls of fungi.
polymer
A long molecule made of many smaller monomers linked by covalent bonds.
monomer
Monomers are the building blocks of polymers.
macromolecule
Large molecules made from thousands of covalently bonded atoms.
hydrolysis
The cleavage of chemical bonds through the addition of water.
