Monosaccharides

Monosaccharides are the monomers of carbohydrates.

Isomers - molecules with the same molecular formul but with their atoms in arranged in a different way. Examples of isomers are alpha and beta glucose.

Hexose sugar - a monosaccharide with six carbon atoms in each molecule, such as glucose.

Disaccharides are formed when two monosaccharides bond together.

Glycosidic bond - the bond that is formed when monosaccharides are joined together by condensation reactions. This bond is broken in hydrolysis reactions.

Above: A glycosidic bond being formed when two molecules of alpha glucose bind together. The disaccharide formed is called maltose.

The test for sugars is called the Benedict’s reagent.