Musings of the Sundarman

What are monosaccharides and what do they do?

Monosaccharides possess either an aldehyde or a ketone functional group, and hydroxyl groups on many of the carbon atoms that are not carbonyl carbon atoms . Monosaccharides (derived from Greek from monos: single, sacchar: sugar) are the fundamental unit of carbs. They contain one sugar and are colorless and soluble in H2O. They are solid crystals. Glucose, fructose and galactose are examples of monosaccharides. They are the building blocks of disaccharides and polysaccharides. An example of a disaccharide is sucrose and an example of a polysaccharide is cellulose.

Why are there so many simple sugars out there?

a. The size of a glucose backbone can vary

b. Where the carbonyl group is located (ketones vs. aldehydes).

c. Different spatial arrangements of their atoms around asymmetric carbons (structural isomers and stereoisomers).

What is the major function of monosaccharides?

a. Monosaccharides are the major source of fuel for metabolism, being used both as an energy source (glucose being the most important in nature) and in biosynthesis. When monosaccharides are not needed by cells they are quickly converted into another form, such as polysaccharides.

b. The carbon backbones of monosaccharides serve as raw materials for the synthesis of small organic molecules, such as amino acids or fatty acids.

These are some of the common functions of monosaccharides.