1A:2 Carbohydrates I

Monosaccharides and Disaccharides

AS BIOLOGY
SHAMEELAH R. BALKHI
Organic Compounds
•C
• H, O
• P, S, N
• Strong bonds to other
carbon atoms
• Rings, branched chain,
3D
• Ability of C to form
macromolecules, basis
of all biological
molecules
Carbohydrates
• Usable energy source
• Important in human foods
• C, H, O
• Storing energy
• Cell walls of plants, fungi and
bacteria
• Sugars, starch (in rice, flour,
potatoes), sucrose (table sugar),
glucose (fuel in cells)
• Basic structure of all carbs – same
• 3 groups: mono, di, polysaccharides
Monosaccharides
C(H2O)n
n – usually a small number
triose sugars (n=3)
• Important in mitochondria.
Respiration process breaks
down glucose into triose
Pentose sugars (n=5)
• Ribose, deoxyribose – DNA,
RNA
Hexose sugars (n=6)
• Often taste sweet
• Glucose, fructose, galactose
General formula - how many atoms
Displayed formula – what the
molecule looks like and why it
behaves as it does
Isomers – different spatial
arrangement (different forms)
Isomers form different bonds
between neighbouring glucose
molecules
Sorbitol
Disaccharides
• Two monosaccharides
• Condensation reaction
• Covalent bond
• Glycosidic bond
• 1,4 or 1,6
• Sucrose – glucose +
fructose
Benedict’s Test
• Tests for reducing sugars
• Bright blue reagent
• Contains copper ions
• Sugar heated gently reduces copper (II) ions to copper (I)
ions
• Precipitate forms
• Colour change occurs
• All monosaccharides, some disaccharides (not sucrose)

• Non-reducing sugars are heated with a few drops of

hydrochloric acid first
• Cool
• Neutralise with sodium hydrogen carbonate
• Glycosidic bonds hydrolysed and monosaccharides
produced for reducing sugar test
1. Carbohydrates are important in cells as a usable energy source. They are
also important for storing energy, and in plants, fungi and bacteria they form
an important part of the cell wall. The basic structure of all carbohydrates is
the same. They are made up of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. There are
three main groups of carbohydrates with varying complexity of molecules:
monosaccharides, disaccharides and polysaccharides.
2. A glycosidic bond is formed by the removal of a hydrogen atom (–H) from
one monosaccharide and a hydroxyl group (–OH) from another
monosaccharide to form a disaccharide andwater.