Carbohydrates Definition

Carbohydrate is a organic compound, it comprises of only oxygen, carbon and hydrogen. The
oxygen: hydrogen ratio is usually is 2:1. The empirical formula being Cm (H 2O) n (where m can
be different from n).
). Carbohydrates are hydrates of carbon, technically they are polyhydroxy
aldehydes and ketones. Carbohydrates are also known as saccharides, the word saccharide comes
from Greek word sakkron which means sugar.

Carbohydrates Classification
Carbohydrates are
re classified into three groups

Monosaccharides or Monosachoroses
From Greek, mono=one; sakchron=sugar.
sakchron
1. Monosaccharides are often called simple sugars, these are compound which possess a
free aldehydes or ketone group.
2. They are the simplest sugars and cannot be hydrolyzed.
3. The general formula is C n(H2O) n or CnH 2nOn.
4. The monosaccharides are subdivided into trioses,, tertrose, pentoses, hexoses, heptoses
etc., and also as aldoses or ketoses depending upon whether they contain aldehyde or
ketone group.
Examples of monosaccharides are Fructose, Erythrulose, and Ribulose.

Oligosaccharides or Oligosaccharoses
1. In Greek, Oligo means few.
2. Oligosaccharides are compound sugars that yield 2 to 10 molecules of
the same or different
ent monosaccharides on hydrolysis.
3. Oligosaccharides yielding 2 molecules of monosaccharides on
hydrolysis are known as a disaccharide, and the ones yielding 3 or 4
monosaccharides are known as trisaccharides and tetrasaccharides
respectively and so on. The
Th general formula of disaccharides is
Cn(H2O) n-1 and that of trisaccharides is C n(H 2O)n-2 and so on.
4. Example of disaccharides is sucrose, lactose, maltose etc.

Dr.C.V.Narasimha murthy. Reader in Zoology,JBDC zoology notes-2016

 Trisaccharides are Raffinose, Rabinose.

Polysaccharides or Polysaccharoses
1. In Greek, poly means many.
2. Polysaccharides are compound sugars and yield more than 10 molecules of
monosaccharides on hydrolysis.
3. They are further classified depending on the type of molecules produced as a result of
hydrolysis.
4. They may be homopolysaccharides i.e., monosaccharides of the same type or
heteropolysaccharides i.e., monosaccharides of different types. T
5. he general formula is (C6H 10O 5)x.
Example of homopolysaccharides are starch, glycogen, cellulose, pectin.
Heteropolysaccharides are Hyaluronic acid, Chond rotin.

Properties of Carbohydrates

General properties of carbohydrates

1. Carbohydrates act as energy reserves, also stores fuels, and metabolic intermediates.
2. Ribose and deoxyribose sugars forms the structural frame of the genetic material, RNA
and DNA.
3. Polysaccharides like cellulose are the structural elements in the cell walls of bacteria and
plants.
4. Carbohydrates are linked to proteins and lipids that play important roles in cell
interactions.

Dr.C.V.Narasimha murthy. Reader in Zoology,JBDC zoology notes-2016

 5. Carbohydrates are organic compounds, they are aldehydes or ketones with many
hydroxyl groups.

Physical Properties of Carbohydrates

1. Steroisomerism - Compound shaving same structural formula but they differ in spatial
configuration. Example: Glucose has two isomers with respect to penultimate carbon
atom. They are D-glucose
glucose and L L-glucose.
2. Optical Activity - It is the rotation of plane polarized light forming (+) glucose and (-)
glucose.
3. Diastereo isomers - It the configurational
changes with regard to C2, C3, or C4 in
glucose. Example: Mannose, galactose.
galact
4. Annomerism - It is the spatial configuration
with respect to the first carbon atom in aldoses
and second carbon atom in ketoses.

Structure of Carbohydrates

Structure of Monosaccharoaids

Structure of Disaccharaids

Disaccharides Definition

Disaccharides
saccharides are those sugars that yield two molecules of the same or different
monosaccharides when hydrolyzed. The linkage between two monosaccharides is called a
glycosidic linkage.. The general formula is CnH2nOn −1. When two monosaccharides are
combined together by a glycosidic linkage, a disaccharide is formed.
Examples of Disaccharides

Examples :
Sucrose → Glucose + Fructose (non-reducing
(non sugar)
Lactose → Galactose + Glucose (reducing sugar)
Maltose → Glucose + Glucose (reducing sugar)
1. All the disaccharides are crystalline solids, soluble in water and fall in two classes,
reducing sugar and non-reducing
reducing sugars.

Dr.C.V.Narasimha murthy. Reader in Zoology,JBDC zoology notes-2016

 2. A number of common disaccharides occur in nature
nat , e.g. sucrose, maltose and lactose.
3. The disaccharide is formed when two monosaccharides undergo condensation reaction
with a loss of molecule of water and formation of glycosidic bond.

Sucrose

1. Sucrose is the organic compound commonly known as table Sugar. Sucrose is one of the
most important disaccharide commercially and is obtained from sugar cane and sugar
beet.
2. Sucrose is a white crystalline solid, soluble in water with melting point 180° C. When
heated above its melting point , it forms a brown substance known as caramel.
3. Sucrose is dextrorotatory.
4. On hydrolysis with dilute acids sucrose yield an equimolecular mixture of D(+)glucose
and D(-)fructose.

C12H22O 11 + H2 O → C6H 12O6 + C6H 12O 6

Sucrose is a non- reducing sugar in which alpha glucose is linked to fructofuranose by a

glycosidic link.

Maltose

Maltose is the organic compound which is commonly known as malt sugar. It is a white
crystalline solid, soluble in water with melting point 160°-165°
165° C and it is dextrorotatory. When
it is hydrolyzed with dilute acid it yields two molecules of D(+) glucose. It is a reducing sugar.
Maltose is a important component in the process of creating fermented barley which can be used
to brew beer.

C12H22O11 + H2O → C6H12O6 + C6H12O6

Dr.C.V.Narasimha murthy. Reader in Zoology,JBDC zoology notes-2016

Lactose

Lactose
actose is the organic compound which is commonly known as milk sugar. Lactose occurs in the
milk of all animals. Lactose is a white crystalline solid with melting point 203° C, soluble in
water and is dextrorotatory. It is a reducing sugar formed by one molecule of D(+) galactose and
one molecule of D(-)glucose
)glucose coupled by a beta linkage.
C12H22O11 + H2O → C6H12O6 + C6H12O6

Structure of Polysaccharides ( Glycogen)

Glycogen is a multi branched polysaccharide of glucose that serves as a form of energy storage
in animals and fungi. The polysaccharide structure represents the main storage form of glucose
in the body.
Glycogen Structure
Glycogen consists of long polymer chains of glucose units whic h are bonded by an alpha acetyl
linkage. An acetyl linkage forms by the combination of carbonyl group and alcoholic group. If
the carbonyl group is an aldehydes group (-CHO),
CHO), it termed as hemiacetal and if there is ketonic

Dr.C.V.Narasimha murthy. Reader in Zoology,JBDC zoology notes-2016

group, it forms hemiketal bond. If
I f two alkoxy groups are bonded on same carbon atom, it called
as acetyl group and bond termed as acetyl linkage.

In case of glycogen, all alpha-D--glucose bonded to each other by alpha acetyl linkage between
C1 of one monomer unit and C4 of other monomer unit, hence called as α-1,4-glycosidic
glycosidic
linkage.. Since glycogen is a branched polymer, branching occurs at intervals of 8 -10 glucose
units. These branches are formed by acetyl linkage between C1 and C6.

Dr.C.V.Narasimha murthy. Reader in Zoology,JBDC zoology notes-2016