Carbohydrates - The Reactions of Life

Flashcards about Carbohydrates and their role in energy and metabolism.

What are the primary functions of carbohydrates in biological systems?

Carbohydrates function in metabolism as fuel and energy storage, provide structural elements, and play roles in cell surfaces, extracellular matrix, and secreted proteins, affecting cell survival, communication, tissue formation, protein location, protein function, blood groups, pathogen entry, and cancer metastasis.

What are the main structural classifications of carbohydrates?

Carbohydrates are classified as monosaccharides, disaccharides, oligosaccharides, polysaccharides, and glycoconjugates (to proteins and lipids).

What is Glycobiology?

Glycobiology is the study of the synthesis, structure, and function of carbohydrates.

What is Glycomics?

Glycomics is the study of the glycome (the entirety of carbohydrates in a biological system).

List the primary functions of Carbohydrates.

Energy stores, fuels, metabolic intermediates; Structural framework of RNA and DNA; Structural elements in cell walls; cell-cell communication

Describe the general chemical characteristics of carbohydrates.

Contain a carbonyl group (C=O) and two or more hydroxyl groups (C-OH); typically hydrophilic and soluble in water; some contain nitrogen, phosphorus, and/or sulfur.

How are monosaccharides classified based on their carbonyl group?

Monosaccharides are classified as aldoses if they have an aldehyde function and ketoses if they have a ketone function.

Define isomers, constitutional isomers, and stereoisomers.

Isomers: same formula, different structure; Constitutional isomers: same formula, atoms differ in attachment order; Stereoisomers: atoms connected in same order, different arrangement in space.

Explain the difference between enantiomers and diastereoisomers.

Enantiomers: stereoisomers that are mirror images but not superimposable; Diastereoisomers: stereoisomers that are not mirror images.

What is an epimer?

Epimer: Diastereoisomers differing at only one asymmetric center.

What is the product of reacting an Aldehyde with Alcohol, give an example.

Hemiacetal formation. Example: Pentoses and hexoses cyclize to form furanose and pyranose rings

Name two molecules that a pyranose ring is similar to.

Furan and Pyran

Explain how heating affects the sweetness of fructose.

Heating converts β-D-fructopyranose into β-D-fructofuranose, affecting perceived sweetness.

Describe the difference between reducing and non-reducing sugars, provide examples.

Reducing sugar: has a free carbonyl group (e.g., glucose); Non-reducing sugar: no free carbonyl group (e.g., methyl glucopyranoside).

Explain how modified monosaccharides can act as signal molecules.

Alcohols, Amines, Phosphates. Bonds with anomeric carbon lead to formation of ‘glycosidic bonds’

What is the effect of Phosphorylation of sugars?

Creates reactive intermediates and makes sugars anionic