A) Carbohydrates

I. Carbohydrates:

-- include sugars and complex carbohydrates (starches)

-- contain the elements carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen (the hydrogen is in a 2:1 ratio to oxygen)

a.) monosaccharides (simple sugars)

-- all have the formula C6 H12 O6

-- all have a single ring structure (glucose is an example)

b.) disaccharides (double sugars)

-- all have the formula C12 H22 O11

-- sucrose (table sugar) is an example .

c.) Polysaccharides (formed of three or more simple sugar units)

glycogen -- animal starch stored in the liver and muscles

cellulose -- indigestible in humans -- forms cell walls

starches -- used as energy storage

How are complex carbohydrates formed and broken down?

1.) dehydration synthesis -- combining simple molecules to form a more complex one with the removal of water

ex. monosaccharide + monosaccharide ----> disaccharide + water

(C6H12O6 + C6H12O6 ----> C12H22O11 + H2O

-- polysaccharides are formed from repeated dehydration syntheses of water

2.) hydrolysis -- the addition of water to a compound to split it into smaller subunits

(also called chemical digestion)

ex. disaccharide + H2O ---> monosaccharide + monosaccharide

C12H22O11 + H2O ---> C6H12O6 + C6H12O6