Lipids and Carbohydrates 4 Flashcards
What are reducing sugars?
Glucose and other sugars that can reduce cupric ion Some oxidants such as cupric ion (Cu 2+) can oxidize the carbonyl carbon of sugars to the corresponding acids
What are non reducing sugars?
Sugars that don’t react with oxidants
What is an anomeric carbon?
The only carbon attached to 2 oxygen atoms that is reactive
Name the properties of the anomeric carbon
electrophilic most reactions involving ring forms of sugars take place at this position
What are glycosides?

What is glycosidic bond?
C-O
What is a glycosylic bond?
C-N
What kind of sugar does glycosidic bonds make?
Non Reducing sugars but only the open chain forms of the sugar can undergo oxidation by cupric ions
Why do glycosidic bonds of sugars become non reducing sugars?
If the anomeric carbon is associated in a glycosidic bond, the sugar can’t open from its ring form to become a linear form
What is disaccharide?
2 monosaccharides formed through a glycosidic bond
How does a dissacharide formed?
When the anomeric carbon of one sugar (electrophile) reacts with hydroxyl group (nucleophile) of the other
What does ß mean in terms of OH orientation?
The OH group on the anomeric carbon is facing “up”
What does alpha mean in terms of OH group on the anomeric carbon?
It means that the OH group on the anomeric carbon is facing down
How can you make a reducing sugar out of a disaccharide?
If the anomeric C atom of the one sugar and the anomeric OH group of glucose form a glycosidic bond.
What is mutarotation?
The converting of the alpha and beta OH groups on the anonomer C atom
What is the reducing end?
In disaccharides and polysaccharides, the end of a chain with a free anomeric carbon (not involved in a glycosdic bond)
Why are polysaccharides often branched?
Sugars have several OH groups which can act as the nucleophile in forming a glycosidic bond
How does polysaccharides differ from each other?
linked to different sugars, length of chains, type of bonds linking units and degree of branching
What are the two types of polysccharides?
Homopolysccharides and heteropolysaccharides
What are homopolysccharides?
Made from a single type of sugar monomer
What are heteropolysaccharides?
Made from two or more kinds of sugar subunits
Who first isolated DNA?
Friedrich Miescher called it “Nuclein”
What is a nucleotide consist of?
A sugar, a base and a phosphate group
What is the sugar phosphate backbone?
The sugars linked together by phosphates form the backbone of nucleic acids
