Carbohydrates and Monosaccharides

Flashcards based on key concepts related to carbohydrates and monosaccharides, designed to assist in exam preparation.

Carbohydrates

Most abundant biomolecules on earth, produced from CO2 and H2O via photosynthesis, frequently referred to as 'sugars'.

Monosaccharides

The simplest carbohydrates, consisting of a single polyhydroxy aldehyde or ketone unit.

Epimers

Two sugars that differ in configuration at one specific carbon atom.

Anomers

Stereoisomers that differ in configuration at the anomeric carbon.

Hemiacetal

A product formed when an aldehyde reacts with an alcohol.

Mutarotation

The change in optical rotation that occurs when an anomeric carbon converts between its alpha and beta forms.

Chirality

The property of a molecule having non-superimposable mirror images.

D- and L-Configuration

Configurations based on the orientation of the hydroxyl group on the penultimate carbon

Reducing sugars

Any sugar capable of acting as a reducing agent due to having a free aldehyde or ketone group.

Fischer Projection

A two-dimensional representation of a monosaccharide's stereochemistry, chiral carbs

Haworth Projection

A three-dimensional representation of a cyclic monosaccharide structure.

Diastereomers

Stereoisomers that are not mirror images of each other, differ at one or more chiral centers and have different physical properties

Disaccharides

2 units of monosaccharides

Oligosaccharides

Short chains (3-20) of monosaccharide units

Polysaccharides

Long chains of monosaccharide units

Aldose

Carb with aldehyde functionality

Ketose

Carb with ketone functionality

D-sugar configuration

OH group of the right of the penultimate carbon

L-sugar configuration

oh group of the left of the penultimate carbon

Stereoisomerism

Same atom connectivity, different spatial arrangements

D-aldoses

Retain the D-glyceraldehyde configuration at the penultimate carbon

Anomeric carbon

Carbonyl carbon in the linear form

Alpha-anomer

An anomer where the hydroxyl group on the anomeric carbon is positioned below the plane of the sugar ring.

Beta-anomer

The anomer where the hydroxyl group at the anomeric carbon is on the same side as the C6 carbon in the cyclic form.