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Molecular Biology - Saccharides 

Monosachharide #1 - Glucose

  • Glucose has the formula C6H12O6

  • It forms a hexagonal ring (hexose)

  • Glucose is the form of sugar that fuels respiration

  • Glucose forms the base unit of many polymers

Monosaccharide #2 - Glactose

  • Glactose is also a hexose sugar

  • It has the same formula C6H12O6 but is less sweet

  • Most commonly found in milk but also cereals

Monosaccharide #3 - Fructose

  • Fructose is another pentose sugar

  • Commonly found in fruits and honey

  • Sweetest naturally occurring carbohydrate

Monosaccharide #4 - Ribose

  • Ribose is a pentose sugar

  • Forms the backbone of RNA

  • Deoxyribose – 2nd carbon is deoxygenated – forms backbone of DNA

Monosaccharides (sugars) are the monomers of polysaccharides (carbohydrates):

Disaccharide #1 - Maltose

  • Maltose (C12H22O11) is a dimer of glucose)

  • Double the formula and ge rid of a water molecule

Disaccharide #2 - Lactose

  • Lactose (C12H22O11) is most commonly found in milk

  • The two subunits that make up lactose are glucose and galactose

Disaccharide #3 - Sucrose

  • Sucrose (C12H22O11) is also known as table salt

  • Two monosaccharides that make it up are glucose and fructose

Polysaccharides (such as glucose) are polymers more than two molecules

  • Starch, cellulose, glycogen

  • Starch and glycogen have a 1-4 bond (straight chains)

Polysaccharides #1 - Cellulose

  • Cellulose made from beta glucose molecules

  • Condensation reactions link carbon atom 1 to carbon atom 4 on the next beta glucose

  • Glucose subinite=s in the chaina re oriented alternately upwards and downwards

  • This makes is a straight chain

  • Cellulose molecules are unbranched chains of beta glucose

  • Hydrogen bonds link the molecules together

  • The linked molecules form bundles called cellulose microfibrils

  • They have high tensile strength.

Polysaccharide #2 - Starch

  • Amylose and amylopectin are both forms of starch and made from repeating glucose units

  • Amylose – the chain of alpha glucose molecules un branched and forms helix

  • Amylopectin the chain is branches so has a more globular shape

  • Starch is only made my plant celss

  • Molecules of both types of starch ar hydrophilic but are too large to be soluble In water

  • Starch does not affect osmotic balance of cells

  • It is easy to add or remove extra glucoe molecules to starch

Polysaccharide #3 - Glycogen

  • Glycogen (C6H10O5) is a polymer made from repeating glucose subunits

  • It branches many times

  • Condensation reaction link carbon atom 1-4 on the next alpha glucose

  • Store glucose as glycogen so we can break it down later

Molecular Biology - Saccharides 

Monosachharide #1 - Glucose

  • Glucose has the formula C6H12O6

  • It forms a hexagonal ring (hexose)

  • Glucose is the form of sugar that fuels respiration

  • Glucose forms the base unit of many polymers

Monosaccharide #2 - Glactose

  • Glactose is also a hexose sugar

  • It has the same formula C6H12O6 but is less sweet

  • Most commonly found in milk but also cereals

Monosaccharide #3 - Fructose

  • Fructose is another pentose sugar

  • Commonly found in fruits and honey

  • Sweetest naturally occurring carbohydrate

Monosaccharide #4 - Ribose

  • Ribose is a pentose sugar

  • Forms the backbone of RNA

  • Deoxyribose – 2nd carbon is deoxygenated – forms backbone of DNA

Monosaccharides (sugars) are the monomers of polysaccharides (carbohydrates):

Disaccharide #1 - Maltose

  • Maltose (C12H22O11) is a dimer of glucose)

  • Double the formula and ge rid of a water molecule

Disaccharide #2 - Lactose

  • Lactose (C12H22O11) is most commonly found in milk

  • The two subunits that make up lactose are glucose and galactose

Disaccharide #3 - Sucrose

  • Sucrose (C12H22O11) is also known as table salt

  • Two monosaccharides that make it up are glucose and fructose

Polysaccharides (such as glucose) are polymers more than two molecules

  • Starch, cellulose, glycogen

  • Starch and glycogen have a 1-4 bond (straight chains)

Polysaccharides #1 - Cellulose

  • Cellulose made from beta glucose molecules

  • Condensation reactions link carbon atom 1 to carbon atom 4 on the next beta glucose

  • Glucose subinite=s in the chaina re oriented alternately upwards and downwards

  • This makes is a straight chain

  • Cellulose molecules are unbranched chains of beta glucose

  • Hydrogen bonds link the molecules together

  • The linked molecules form bundles called cellulose microfibrils

  • They have high tensile strength.

Polysaccharide #2 - Starch

  • Amylose and amylopectin are both forms of starch and made from repeating glucose units

  • Amylose – the chain of alpha glucose molecules un branched and forms helix

  • Amylopectin the chain is branches so has a more globular shape

  • Starch is only made my plant celss

  • Molecules of both types of starch ar hydrophilic but are too large to be soluble In water

  • Starch does not affect osmotic balance of cells

  • It is easy to add or remove extra glucoe molecules to starch

Polysaccharide #3 - Glycogen

  • Glycogen (C6H10O5) is a polymer made from repeating glucose subunits

  • It branches many times

  • Condensation reaction link carbon atom 1-4 on the next alpha glucose

  • Store glucose as glycogen so we can break it down later