composed of c, h, and o general molecular formular – ch 2 o function: ◦ energy ◦ energy...
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Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates – energy molecules
Composed of C, H, and O General molecular formular – CH2O Function:
◦ Energy◦ Energy storage◦ Raw materials◦ Structural materials
Monomer: sugars Examples: sugars, starches, cellulose
Carbohydrates
Most names for sugars end in –ose Classified by number of carbons
◦ 6 carbons – glucose◦ 5 carbons – ribose◦ 3 carbons - glyceraldehyde
Carbohydrates
5 C and 6 C sugars form rings in solutions
Sugar Structure
Carbons are always numbered
Monosaccharides◦ Simple 1 monomer sugars◦ Glucose
Disaccharides◦ 2 monomers◦ Sucrose
Polysaccharides◦ Many monomers◦ Starch, cellulose
Simple and Complex Sugars
Dehydration synthesis
Building Sugars
Polymers of sugars◦ Costs little energy to build◦ Easily reversible = releases energy
Function◦ Energy storage
Starch (plants) Glycogen (liver and muscles of animals)
◦ Structure Cellulose (cell wall of plants) Chitin (arthropods and fungi)
Polysaccharides
Molecular structure determines function
Polysaccharide Diversity
Starch – easy to digest
Cellulose – hard to digest
Digesting Starch vs. Cellulose
Most abundant organic compound on Earth◦ Herbivores have
evolved a mechanism to digest cellulose
◦ Most carnivores have not That’s why they eat
meat to get their energy and nutrients
Cellulose = undigestable roughage
Cellulose
How can herbivores digest cellulose so well? ◦ Bacteria live in their digestive systems and help
digest cellulose-rich food
Helpful Bacteria