What are the basic units of carbohydrates?

Understand the Problem

The question is asking for information about the fundamental building blocks or components that make up carbohydrates, specifically the basic units known as monosaccharides.

More Information

Monosaccharides are simple sugars that include glucose, fructose, and galactose. These are the smallest units that constitute all other forms of carbohydrates, including disaccharides and polysaccharides.

Tips

A common mistake is confusing the basic unit (monosaccharide) with the general elements (carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen) that constitute carbohydrates. They are related but not the same.

Sources

• What are the basic units of all carbohydrates? - Vedantu - vedantu.com
• Carbohydrate - Wikipedia - en.wikipedia.org
• Carbohydrates (article) | Chemistry of life - Khan Academy - khanacademy.org