Carbohydrates- Monosaccharides , Disaccharides, Polysaccharides. Carbohydrates are molecules that contain carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. Monosaccharides Structures The above definition of sugar needs some further nuance. From a chemical perspective, sugars can be defined as polyhydroxy-aldehydes or ketones. The simplest sugars contain at least three carbon atoms, and the most common are the aldo- and keto-trioses, tetroses, pentoses, and hexoses. The 3C sugars are glyceraldehyde and dihydroxyacetone, as shown in Figure 7 1 1. Figure 7 1 1: Three-carbon sugars Glucose, an aldohexose, is a central sugar in metabolism. It and ... Monosaccharides are single sugar molecules that are the basic units of carbohydrates. They are simple sugars with a variety of structures and functions in Monosaccharides are Simplest Sugars Monosaccharides are the simplest carbohydrates. They are polyhydroxy aldehydes or ketones with a carbon backbone. The carbon backbone in monosaccharides usually consists of 3 – 6 carbon atoms. The simplest monosaccharides are glyceraldehyde and dihydroxyacetone (with 3 carbons). The most abundant monosaccharide in nature is a 6 carbon sugar called glucose. Majority of the monosaccharides follow the empirical formula C (H2O)n. Monosaccharide with five or ...
