CARBOHYDRATES

CARBOHYDRATES
MONOSACCHARIDES
(simple diffusion)
DISACCHARIDES
(double sugars)
POLYSACCHARIDES
(complex sugars)
Maltose
Sucrose
Lactose
Glucose
Fructose
Galactose
Starch
Cellulose
Glycogen
Carbohydrates
are made up from carbon, hydrogen and oxygen .

the H : O ratio in all carbohydrate molecules is
2 :1 .

an important source of energy that be used by cells
in photosynthesis .

there are 3 main types of carbohydrates :

(a) monosaccharides
(b) disaccharides
(c) polysaccharides
Types of
Carbohydrates
Monosaccharides

is derived from word mono meaning one and word
saccharides meaning sugar.

also known as simple sugar which are main source of
energy for many cells .

can combine with proteins and lipids to form
glycoproteins and glycolipids .

soluble in water, taste sweet and form crystals .

all monosaccharides are reducing sugars and can act as
reducing agents .


examples of monosaccharides is glucose,fructose
and galactose .

glucose is found in grape sugar, fructose is found
in sweet fruits and honey while galactose is found
in milk .

Disaccharides
also known as double sugar .

maltose, sucrose and lactose are examples of
disaccharides .

maltose is formed from the condensation of two glucose
molecules (e.g: malt sugar) .

sucrose is formed from glucose and fructose (e.g: cane
sugar) .

lactose is formed from glucose and galactose (e.g: milk
sugar) .

maltose and lactose are reducing sugars, while sucrose
is non-reducing sugar .

just like monosaccharides, all disaccharides taste
sweet, able to crystallise and water-soluble .
Polysaccharides
are insoluble in water, do not taste sweet and cannot be
crystallised .

the compact structure make them ideal for storage
carbohydrates .

examples of polysaccharides are starch, glycogen and
cellulose .

starch is found in wheat, rice and corn .

glycogen or animal starch is a polysaccharide of
glucose which functions as the primary short term
energy storage in animal cells .

cellulose is the substance of plant cell walls are made
of .It also provides support for plant cells .

Process of
formation and
breakdown
Monosaccharides

monomers (the smallest molecules) of carbohydrates .

the formula (CH2O)n , where n= 3,5 or 6 carbon atoms
are used to form monosaccharides .The most common
are 6-carbon sugars with the formula C6H12O6 .

monosaccharides cannot be broken down further into
smaller units of carbohydrates .
Disaccharides
when 2 monosaccharides combine by condensation, a
disaccharides is formed .

glucose + glucose maltose + water
glucose + fructose sucrose + water
glucose + galactose lactose + water

it can be broken down to their constituent
monosaccharides through hydrolysis .

glucose + glucose maltose + water
glucose + fructose sucrose + water
glucose + galactose lactose + water

Polysaccharides
hundreds or thousands of monosaccharides can be linked
through condensation reaction to form a long chain of
molecules or a polymer .This formula is (C6H10O5)n ,
where n= 40 to several thousands .Polysaccharides are
polymers formed by condensation of glucose monomers .

monosaccharides polysaccharides + water

it can broken down into smaller molecules through
hydrolysis by adding dilute acid or through enzymatic
reaction.

monosaccharides polysaccharides + water
THE FUNCTIONS of
Starch
major storage form of carbohydrates in plants .
source of glucose which is the main sugar metabolized by the
body for energy .

Cellulose
provides support for plant cells .
an important fiber that has been used
for textiles since beginning of 20
th

century .
used in laboratory as the stationary phase for thin layer
chromatography .
Glycogen
major energy storage compound in animals and fungi .For
example, in muscle cells and liver cells .
to nourish embryo during pregnancy.
plays an important role in the
glucose cycle .