Introduction to Biochemistry: Carbohydrates

• The use of chemistry to study biological processes defines biochemistry.

Benefits of Biochemistry

• Crucial for science fields like medicine and pharmacy.
• Essential to understand medicinal crops for agriculture.
• Necessary to produce good crop strains, leading to botany careers.
• Food Industry expert knowledge in nutritional values.

Semester Studies

• Dr. Manar: Focuses on carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins.
• Dr. Omran: Covers DNA, vitamins, peptide hormones.

Carbohydrates

• Polyhydroxy aldehydes or ketones.
• Yield compounds upon hydrolysis.
• The general chemical formula is (CnH2nOn) or 2(CH2O).
• May contain nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), or sulfur (S).

Classification of Carbohydrates

• Monosaccharides: Consist of one sugar unit.
• Oligosaccharides: Contain 2 to 10 sugar units.
• Polysaccharides: Composed of 10 or more sugar units.
• The most abundant and important organic compound for animals and plants.
• Produced from photosynthesis.
• Most carbohydrates belong to the D-family, not the L-family.

Monosaccharides

• Are nonpolar solids that do not dissolve in water.
• They have a sweet taste .
• If the monosaccharide contains an aldehyde group, it is an aldose.
• If it contains a ketone group, it is a ketose.
• Monosaccharides typically have four to seven carbons, except for C3.
• D-Glyceraldehyde is an aldotriose.
• Dihydroxyacetone is a ketotriose.
• D-Glucose is an aldohexose.
• D-Fructose is a ketohexose.
• D-Ribose and 2-Deoxy-D-Ribose are components of nucleotides and nucleic acids.

Ketose vs. Aldose

• To identify, check the location of the group.
• For ketose, and for aldose, .
• Monosaccharides have asymmetric centers, except for dihydroxyacetone.
• Contain one or more asymmetric (chiral) carbon atoms.
• Occur in optically active isomeric forms.
• Glyceraldehyde, the simplest aldose, contains one chiral center.
• Glyceraldehyde has two different optical isomers or enantiomers.

Examples of Monosaccharides

• Mannose, Glucose, and Galactose differ from each other.
• Mannose and Glucose differ at C2.
• Galactose and Glucose differ at C4.
• Epimers: Differ in one carbon configuration.
• If one sugar is similar to the other, one is labeled from group D, and the other from Group L.
• D and L are determined by the location of the OH group.
• If the OH group is on the right, it is D.
• If the OH group is on the left, it is L.

Explore the basics of biochemistry, its benefits in medicine, agriculture, and the food industry. Learn about carbohydrates, including their classification, structure, and importance in both animals and plants.