Chapter 5 - An introduction to Carbohydrates Flashcards
what four types of macromolecules were crucial to the evolution of the cell?
proteins
carbohydrates
nucleic acids
lipids
of the five fundamental characteristics of life, which can proteins and nucleic acids carry out?
information
replication
evolution
which fundamental characteristic of life can carbohydrates carry out?
energy
what are the monomers of sugars/carbs?
monosaccharides (“one sugar”)
what do monosaccharides polymerize to form?
polymers - polysaccharides (“many sugars”)
what are small polymers of sugar called?
oligosaccharides (“few sugars”)
what is the molecular formula for most sugars/carbohydrates?
(CH2O)n (subscript n refers to the number of carbon hydrate groups)
what are some of the functions of carbohydrates?
- raw material for synthesizing other molecules
- providing structural support
- indicating cell identity
- storing chemical energy
what are the two possible configuration of the carbonyl group in a sugar molecule? (two possible positions)
aldose - carbonyl group at the end of the carbon chain
forms an aldehyde
ketose - carbonyl group in the middle of the carbon chain
forms a ketone
triose
three carbon atoms present
pentose
five carbon atoms present (ribose)
hexose
six carbon atoms present (glucose and galactose)
what characteristics do the carbonyl group and the multiple hydroxyl groups bring to the sugar molecule?
-provides sugars with an array of reactive and hydrophilic functional groups
what are the 3 main ways that simple sugars differ from each other?
- location of carbonyl group
- number of carbon atoms present
- spacial arrangement of their atoms (especially positions of hydroxyl (-OH) groups
what structures do sugars tend to form in aqueous solutions?
ring structures
what is a complex carbohydrate?
polysaccharide (polymer of monosaccharide monomers)
disacharides
simplest polysaccharides
-consist of two monosaccharide monomers