Carbohydrates - Sugars

Carbohydrates are a group of substances used as:

• A source of energy (glucose)
• A store of energy (Starch and Glycogen)
• Structural units (Cellulose in Plants and Chitin in Insects)

All carbohydrayes contain carbon, hydrogen and oxygen with the general formula: C_x(H₂O)_y

There are three main groups of carbohydrates:

• Monosaccharides - these are simple sugars with the general formula (CH₂O)_n, where n can be 3-7
• Disaccharides - these are 'double sugars' formed from two monosaccharides
• Polysaccharides - these are large molecules formed from many monosaccharides

Glucose:

• Glucose is an abundant but very important monosaccharide
• It contains sis carbons so it is a hexose sugar and its general formula is C₆H₁₂O₆
• Glucose is the major energy source for most cells
• It is highly soluble…