Carbohydrates Overview

Flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts related to carbohydrates, their structure, function, and classifications.

Carbohydrates

Sugars and their polymers, serving as energy sources and structural roles in organisms.

Monosaccharides

Single sugars with the general formula CnH2nOn, examples include glucose and fructose.

Disaccharides

Two monosaccharides joined via a dehydration reaction, can be cleaved into monosaccharides by hydrolysis.

Polysaccharides

Long polymers of monosaccharides that serve as energy storage or structural components.

Glucose

A monosaccharide with the chemical formula C6H12O6, known as an aldose and water soluble.

Oligosaccharides

A few monosaccharides bonded together, typically containing more than three sugar units.

Isomer

Molecules that have the same chemical formula but different structures.

Aldose

Sugars that contain an aldehyde group, such as glucose.

Cellulose

A polysaccharide that serves as a structural component in plant cell walls.

Starch

A storage polysaccharide in plants that can be hydrolyzed by animals.