Importance of Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are primarily composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen.

Glucose is the main fuel for mammalian tissues.

Monosaccharides consist of one sugar unit and cannot be hydrolyzed into simpler forms.

<p>Carbohydrates are classified into monosaccharides, disaccharides, oligosaccharides, and polysaccharides.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Starch is used for energy storage in plants, and cellulose forms plant cell walls.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Mucopolysaccharides are important components of connective tissues; for example, heparin acts as a natural anticoagulant.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Aldoses contain an aldehyde group, while ketoses contain a ketone group.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Oligosaccharides are composed of 3 to 10 monosaccharide units.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Trioses contain three carbon atoms and are classified as monosaccharides.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The important hexoses are glucose, galactose, fructose, and mannose; they serve major roles in energy metabolism.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Fructose can be converted to glucose in the liver and intestine, making it usable for the body's energy needs.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Galactosemia and cataract are caused by errors in galactose metabolism.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The straight open chain formula does not account for all reactions of sugars, particularly in aldo sugars where the aldehyde group can be masked in solution.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Glucose is the major source of energy for the body and is the sugar carried by the blood to tissues.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Mannose is formed during the hydrolysis of gums and is a constituent of many glycoproteins.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The aldehyde group hydrating results in the formation of an aldenol group, which can then condense with an -OH group to form a ring structure.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>α sugars have the OH group on the right, while β sugars have it on the left.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>An asymmetric carbon atom is one that is attached to four different atoms or groups.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The compound can have 16 possible isomers.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>D and L isomers differ based on the orientation of the -H and -OH groups around the subterminal carbon atom.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The most common form of glucose in solution is the pyranose form.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>α and β anomers are isomers that differ in the configuration of -OH and -H on C1.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>D and L isomers, and Pyranose and Furanose forms.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>99% of glucose is found in the pyranose form in solution.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>In deoxy sugars, a hydroxyl group is replaced by a hydrogen atom.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Amino sugars have an amino group (NH2) replacing the hydroxyl group on the second carbon. An example is glucosamine.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Neuraminic acid is formed from mannosamine and pyruvic acid, and it plays a role in forming N-acetyl-neuraminic acid (NANA).</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>An aldose is oxidized at the aldehyde group to form an aldonic acid. An example is gluconic acid from glucose.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Uronic acids result from the oxidation of the primary alcohol group, while aldaric sugars result from the oxidation of both the aldehyde and primary alcohol groups.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Sugar alcohols are derived from the reduction of carbonyl groups in sugars. An example is sorbitol from glucose.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Inositols are sugar alcohols derived from glucose that exist in nine stereoisomeric forms and are regarded as part of B-complex vitamins.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Glycosides are compounds formed by the condensation of sugars with another compound, which can also be a sugar.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The anomeric carbon is defined by the arrangement of -OH and -H groups; in alpha configuration, -OH is down, while in beta configuration, -OH is up.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Epimers are isomers that differ at a specific carbon atom; mannose and galactose are the most important epimers of glucose.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Optical activity is the capability of a compound to rotate plane polarized light, which is fundamental for distinguishing between different sugar isomers.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Mutarotation is the gradual change in the specific rotation of an optically active compound over time, demonstrated by the change of glucose's anomers from alpha and beta forms to an equilibrium mixture.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>A racemic mixture is a solution containing equal parts of dextrorotatory and levorotatory isomers, resulting in no net optical activity due to cancellation of their effects.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Specific rotation is the angle of rotation of plane polarized light specific to an optically active substance; for glucose, it is measured at +52.5°.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Aldoses contain an aldehyde group, while ketoses contain a ketone group, distinguishing their structural properties.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Alpha glucose has the -OH group on the first carbon pointing downward, while beta glucose has it pointing upward.</p> Signup and view all the answers