Carbohydrates

Monosaccharides: one sugar, (Broken down

faster/ Metabolised faster):
Glucose, galactose, fructose
Disaccharides: Two sugars, (made up of two
monosaccharides):
Sucrose, lactose, maltose
Polysaccharides: more than two
monosaccharides:
Starch and glycogen

Each step is driven by a

specific enzyme. Animals and
plants have enzymes that
break down alpha-glucose,
only due to the different
structure.

The bond is called a 1,4glycosidic bond.

Insoluble in
water.

Alpha-glucoses
form a
polysaccharide
called amylose.

The breaking of glucose

into simpler molecules of CO2
and H2O in respiration
releases energy in the form of
ATP

Energy
storage
More compact
so forms
glycogen
granulesespecially in
liver and
muscle cells.

Holds
glucose in
chains so
they can be
easily
broken off
for
respiration
.

In
animals
In
plants

Glycogen
differs from
starch in that
the 1,4glycosidic
chains are
shorter and

Stored in
chloroplasts
and
elsewhere
in
membrane
bound

Starch is a mixture of
long, straight chain
amylose and branched
amylopetin.

The long
chains of
amylose
coil into a
spring due
to the
formation of
the
glycosidic
bonds.
Iodine
molecules
can be
trapped in
the coils of
the spring
which
causes it to
change from
yellow/bro
wn to
blue/black.

3 carbon
monosaccharid
es are known
as triose
sugars

5 carbon monosaccharides
are known as pentose sugars
e.g. Deoxyribose

6 carbon
monosaccharid
es are known as
hexose sugars.
All are soluble
in water, sweet
tasting and
form crystals

Can be drawn in a chain or

ring structure
Hexose
sugar

Glucos
e

Monosaccharid
es

Simple
sugars

Energy source
- released from
glucose during
respiration

Structure e.g.
cellulose

Functions
in
organisms

In the betastructure,
the OH IS
above the
plane of the
ring

Joining
and
splittin
g

Energy store
e.g Starch
A covalent
glycosidic
bond is
made with
the
elimination

Two
monosaccharides
can be joined
together in a
CONDENSATION
reaction

In the ring
structure there
are two different
isomers ALPHA
glucose and BETA
glucose

In alphaglucose, the
OH is below
the plane of
the ring

The reverse reaction is

a hydrolysis reaction
which uses water to
break the glycosidic
bond

Beta glucose can be

condensed to form long and
straight chained polymer
chains called cellulose
chains

Structur
al units

The macrofibril
arrangement in stomata
result in the opening and
closing of a stoma

Cellulose is found in plants

only
Other structural
carbohydrate polymers
include chitin in
exoskeletons and
peptidoglycan in bacterial
cell walls
As the glucose monomers
Can be reinforced with
contain many OH groups,
other substances to proved
many hydrogen bonds can
extra support or to make
be formed
the walls waterproof

About 60 - 70 cellulose
molecules become crosslinked to form microfibrils

Structure and
function of cell wall

Arrangement of
macrofibrils
allow water to
move in and out
of the cell

These in turn can form

hydrogen bonds to form
macrofibrils which are
embedded in pectin to form
cell walls

The wall
prevents
bursting and
the cell
becomes
turgid instead,
for support