monosaccharide

Examples of monosaccharide in the following topics:

• Carbohydrate Molecules

  • Monosaccharides (mono- = "one"; sacchar- = "sweet") are simple sugars .
  • In monosaccharides, the number of carbons usually ranges from three to seven.
  • Glucose (C6H12O6) is a common monosaccharide and an important source of energy.
  • Galactose (a milk sugar) and fructose (found in fruit) are other common monosaccharides.
  • During this process, the hydroxyl group of one monosaccharide combines with the hydrogen of another monosaccharide, releasing a molecule of water and forming a covalent bond.

• Metabolism of Carbohydrates

  • The metabolism of any monosaccharide (simple sugar) can produce energy for the cell to use.
  • When those energy demands increase, carbohydrates are broken down into constituent monosaccharides, which are then distributed to all the living cells of an organism.
  • Glucose (C6H12O6) is a common example of the monosaccharides used for energy production.
  • As chemical energy is released from the bonds in the monosaccharide, it is harnessed to synthesize high-energy adenosine triphosphate (ATP) molecules.

• Dehydration Synthesis

  • In a dehydration synthesis reaction between two un-ionized monomers, such as monosaccharide sugars, the hydrogen of one monomer combines with the hydroxyl group of another monomer, releasing a molecule of water in the process.
  • Complex carbohydrates are formed from monosaccharides, nucleic acids are formed from mononucleotides, and proteins are formed from amino acids.
  • In the dehydration synthesis reaction between two molecules of glucose, a hydroxyl group from the first glucose is combined with a hydrogen from the second glucose, creating a covalent bond that links the two monomeric sugars (monosaccharides) together to form the dissacharide maltose.

• Types of Biological Macromolecules

  • Regular table sugar is the disaccharide sucrose (a polymer), which is composed of the monosaccharides fructose and glucose (which are monomers).
  • The carbohydrate monosaccharides (fructose and glucose) are joined to make the disaccharide sucrose.

• Importance of Carbohydrates

  • One major class of biological macromolecules are carbohydrates, which are further divided into three subtypes: monosaccharides, disaccharides, and polysaccharides .
  • Carbohydrates are biological macromolecules that are further divided into three subtypes: monosaccharides, disaccharides, and polysaccharides.

• Hydrolysis

  • This is what happens when monosaccharides are released from complex carbohydrates via hydrolysis.

• Connecting Other Sugars to Glucose Metabolism

  • Fructose is one of the three dietary monosaccharides (along with glucose and galactose) which are absorbed directly into the bloodstream during digestion.

• Digestion and Absorption

  • These disaccharides are then broken down into monosaccharides by enzymes called maltases, sucrases, and lactases.
  • The monosaccharides produced are absorbed so that they can be used in metabolic pathways to harness energy.

• Fluid Mosaic Model

  • These carbohydrate chains may consist of 2–60 monosaccharide units and can be either straight or branched.