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.

• Absorption of Monosaccharides, Amino Acids, Dipeptides, Tripeptides, Lipids, Electrolytes, Vitamins, and Water

  • Some carbohydrates are degraded into simple sugars, or monosaccharides (e.g., glucose).
  • This is because the cellulose is made out of beta-glucose, making the inter-monosaccharidal bindings different from the ones present in starch, which consists of alpha-glucose.

• Anomeric Forms of Monosaccharides

  • As noted above, the preferred structural form of many monosaccharides may be that of a cyclic hemiacetal.
  • The cyclic pyranose forms of various monosaccharides are often drawn in a flat projection known as a Haworth formula, after the British chemist, Norman Haworth.

• Digestive Processes of the Small Intestine

  • Some carbohydrates are degraded into simple sugars, or monosaccharides (e.g., glucose, galactose) and absorbed by the small intestine.
  • This is because the cellulose is made out of beta-glucose, making the inter-monosaccharidal bindings different from the ones present in starch, which consists of alpha-glucose.

• 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.

• Polysaccharides

  • As the name implies, polysaccharides are large high-molecular weight molecules constructed by joining monosaccharide units together by glycosidic bonds.
  • This is easily demonstrated by acid-catalyzed hydrolysis to the monosaccharide.
  • Polysaccharides built from other monosaccharides (e.g. mannose, galactose, xylose and arabinose) are also known, but will not be discussed here.
  • Some animals (the cow and termites, for example) harbor intestinal microorganisms that breakdown cellulose into monosaccharide nutrients by the use of beta-glycosidase enzymes.

• Carbohydrates: Sources, Uses in the Body, and Dietary Requirements

  • Many organisms also have the ability to metabolize other monosaccharides and disaccharides, though glucose is preferred.