Carbohydrate

Carbohydratesl Also called saccharides
- The name carbohydrate is derived from (C-H2O)n, or 'hydrate of carbon.'
- They are mostly produced by photosynthesis
- Crucial role in in living organism:
- energy storage
-protective coating
-derivates of other biological molecules
Monosaccharides:l the smallest units of carbohydrate structure.
- empirical formula (CH2O)n, where n >= 3 (n is usually five or six but can be up to nine).
Oligosaccharidesl polymers of 2 - 20 monosaccharide residues.
- most common oligosaccharides are the disaccharides
Polysaccharides
- polymers that contain usually > 20 monosaccharide residues.
-do not have the empirical formula (CH2O)
Glycoconjugates
- carbohydrate derivatives in which one or more carbohydrate chains are linked covalently to a peptide chain,
protein, or lipid.