Carbohydrates Lecture Notes

Flashcards about Carbohydrates

What are carbohydrates?

Sugars that provide energy and serve structural roles

What do complex carbohydrates include?

Starches and insoluble fibers found in plants

What role do some sugars play in cell recognition?

Markers on the surface of our cells

What are the simplest carbohydrates called?

Monosaccharides

What is a key characteristic of monosaccharides?

They cannot be broken down into smaller carbohydrates

What elements do monosaccharides contain?

Carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen

What is a disaccharide?

Two monosaccharide units joined together

Into what monosaccharides can sucrose be broken down?

Glucose and fructose

What are oligosaccharides?

Carbohydrates containing three to nine monosaccharide units

What are polysaccharides?

Ten or more monosaccharide units joined together

What are the two main types of dietary fiber?

Soluble and insoluble fiber

Give examples of foods high in soluble fiber.

Oatmeal, legumes, apples, psyllium husk, and carrots

Give examples of sources of insoluble fiber.

Whole grains, seeds, brown rice, cabbage, and vegetable stalks and skins

How is ethanol produced?

From the fermentation of simple sugars in grains and fruits

Where is ethanol commonly found?

Liquor, beer, and wine

What characterizes a primary (1°) alcohol?

One alkyl group attached to the alcoholic carbon atom

What functional groups are found in monosaccharides?

An aldehyde and multiple hydroxyl groups

What is a monosaccharide with an aldehyde functional group called?

An aldose

What is a monosaccharide with a ketone functional group called?

A ketose

How many carbons does a triose have?

Three carbons

What is a chiral center?

A carbon atom with four different groups attached

How many chiral centers does glucose have?

Four

What does the number 2^n represent when determining molecules with chiral centers?

Stereoisomers

In a Fischer projection, horizontal lines represent , and vertical lines represent .

Wedges; dashes

What determines the designation of D or L in sugars?

The position of the OH group on the chiral carbon farthest from the carbonyl

How are diastereomers defined?

They are not exact mirror images

What is another name for dextrose or blood sugar?

Glucose

What is the name of the process where Glucose when broken down to produce energy?

Glycolysis

With what is galactose combined in milk and dairy products?

Lactose

What are diastereomers that differ in one chiral center known as?

Epimers

What has cranberry juice been promoted to treat, due to its mannose content?

Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs)

What is another name for fructose?

Fruit sugar or levulose

What pentoses are found in nucleic acids?

Ribose and 2-deoxyribose

What regulates glucose levels in the blood and cells?

Hormones

What is insulin's primary function?

Signals cells to take up glucose

What is Glucagon's primary function?

signals the liver to make glucose and send it into the bloodstream

What is the six-membered ring form of D-isomers called?

Pyranose

What does oxidation and reduction produce in monosaccharides?

Sugar acid and sugar alcohol

Where does the condensation reaction occur when disaccharides are formed?

The anomeric carbon

What is Glycosidic bonds?

Trisaccharide Sugars