Chapter 11- Carbohydrates Flashcards
Monosaccharides
The simplest units (monomers) of carbohydrates. The smallest ones are composed of 3 carbons. Monosaccharides are aldehydes or ketones with two or more hydroxyl groups. They have many isomers
Isomers
Have the same molecular formula but different structures. The main categories of isomers are constitutional isomers and stereoisomers
Constitutional isomers
Differ in the order of attachment of atoms
Stereoisomers
Have the same molecular formula but different structures. There are multiple different types.
Types of stereoisomers (2)
- Enantiomers
2. Diastereomers
Types of diastereomers (2)
- Epimers
2. Anomers
Enantiomers
Nonsuperimposable mirror images, you should be able to flip the molecules onto each other over a line drawn between them. An example is D-glyceraldehyde and L-glyceraldehyde. They are mirror images because their hydroxyl groups are attached on opposite sides.
Diastereomers
Isomers that are not mirror images. Example- D-altrose and D-glucose.
Epimers
Carbohydrates which vary in one position for the placement of the -OH group. The best examples are for D-glucose and D-galactose.
Anomers
Isomers that differ at a new asymmetric carbon atom formed on ring closure. Example: alpha-D-glucose and beta-D-glucose. The hydroxyl groups on the same carbon are pointing in different directions- one up, one down
Common monosaccharides (6)
- D-Ribose
- D-deoxyribose
- D-glucose
- D-mannose
- D-galactose
- D-fructose
Many common sugars exist in which form?
Cyclic
What is the chemical basis for the formation of cyclic sugars?
The reaction of an aldehyde or with an alcohol to form a hemiacetal, or the reaction of a ketone with an alcohol to form a
hemiketal.
Hemiacetal/hemiketal
A molecule that contains a central carbon bonded to an OH, an H, an R group, and an OR group. The difference between the 2 molecules is that they are use different reactants (aldehyde vs ketone). A cyclic hemiacetal results in another diastereomer form called an anomer
Which 2 cyclic sugar molecules are stable in solution?
- Pyranose rings
2. Furanose rings
How does the reaction to form a hemiacetal/hemiketal occur?
The hydroxyl group acts as a nucleophile during ring formation. Therefore, the oxygen becomes a member of the ring structure. The carbonyl carbon becomes chiral during this reaction, and is then known as the anomeric carbon.
Pyranose
A 6 carbon hemiacetal formed from an intramolecular reaction of glucose or from fructose when it’s free in solution. D-glucose can react to form either alpha-D-glucopyranose or beta-D-glucopyranose anomers
Furanose
A 5 carbon hemiketal formed from an intramolecular reaction of fructose
Alpha anomer
The hydroxyl at C-1 is below the plane of the ring
Beta anomer
The hydroxyl at C-1 is above the plane of the ring
Furanose anomers
The furanose form of fructose can also exist in anomeric forms in which the α and β forms refer to the orientation of the hydroxyl group located at carbon 2
Which cyclic forms does fructose assume?
Fructose forms both the pyranose form, which predominates when fructose is free in solution, and a furanose form, commonly seen in fructose derivatives (sweeteners)
Names of the ring structures of fructose (4)
- Alpha-D-fructofuranose
- Beta-D-fructofuranose
- Alpha-D-fructopyranose
- Beta-D-fructopyranose
How are D sugars identified?
All D sugars have the OH of their highest numbered chiral center on the right.
How are L sugars identified?
All L sugars have the OH of their highest numbered chiral center on the left
Which conformations can pyranose rings adopt?
Boat and chair. The boat form contains 5 carbons in the ring and literally looks like a paper boat
Orientations of carbon ring substituents in chair form (2)
Axial and equatorial
Why does beta D-glucopyranose adopt the chair conformation?
The axial positions are occupied by hydrogens, reducing steric hindrance
Envelope form
A conformation of furanose rings with four of the ring atoms in the same plane and one out of plane (the shape resembles an envelope with the flap open). The out-of-plane carbon is said to be in the endo position. There are C2 or C3 endo conformations. Ribose is one of the most important 5 membered rings in nature
Which two conformations are observed in the ribose component of most biomolecules?
- C-2 is out of the plane on the same side as C-5 (C-2-endo)
- C-3 is out of the plane on the same side as C-5 (C-3-endo)
These are considered envelope conformations
Which anomer of glucose predominates in solution?
A solution of glucose contains one-third α anomer, two-thirds β anomer, and about 1% open chain. The two anomeric forms are in equilibrium that passes through an open-chain form, and the free open-chain form reacts with oxidizing agents
Reducing sugars
Sugars that react with oxidizing agents, glucose is an example. However, any monosaccharide with a hemiacetal ring is considered a reducing sugar because aldoses can be oxidized.
Nonreducing sugars
Sugars that do not react with oxidizing agents
What happens when open chain glucose reacts with copper?
The copper is reduced, the glucose is oxidized
Oxidation
When an electron is removed from a molecule during a chemical reaction
Which molecules does glucose react with?
As a reducing sugar, glucose can react with amino groups, often Lys or Arg residues in proteins. Example: glucose can react with hemoglobin, forming glycosylated hemoglobin (hemoglobin A1c), which is fully functional. Determining the amount of hemoglobin A1c in the blood allows one to monitor the long-term control of blood glucose levels in diabetics
Advanced glycation end products
A modification where carbohydrates and proteins combine. This impairs protein function and has been implicated in a number of pathological conditions
O-glycosidic bond
A bond formed between an anomeric carbon atom and an oxygen atom of an alcohol (a monosaccharide is joined to an alcohol). Oligosaccharides containing two or more monosaccharides are linked by O-glycosidic bonds as well.
N-glycosidic bond
A bond formed between the anomeric carbon atom (of a monosaccharide) and an amine