2006-09-01 05:27:32 · 14 answers · asked by Roseline S 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Biology
Monosaccharides are the simplest form of carbohydrates. They consist of one sugar and are usually colorless, water-soluble, crystalline solids. Some monosaccharides have a sweet taste. Examples of monosaccharides include glucose (dextrose), fructose, galactose, and ribose.
Monosaccharides are the building blocks of disaccharides like sucrose (common sugar) and polysaccharides (such as cellulose and starch). Further, each carbon atom that supports a hydroxyl group (except for the first and last) is chiral, giving rise to a number of isomeric forms all with the same chemical formula. For instance, galactose and glucose are both aldohexoses, but they have different chemical and physical properties.
2006-09-01 05:32:54 · answer #1 · answered by _scientist 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Monosaccharides belong to a class of molecules called saccharides, which you'll probably have heard under their other common name, carbohydrates, also sugars.
Monosaccharides are the simplest form of sugars, and many of them are found in substances like fruit and milk.
Glucose, the most famous monosaccharide, is the essential sugar that fuels every living cell on earth. It's got the formula C6H12O6, and everything that's digested for fuel is turned into this substance for assimilation in the cells.
Fructose is the sugar commonly found in fruit; galactose, in milk.
There are more complex sugars, and they go by the names disaccharides, oligosaccharides and polysaccharides - but these are all basically large molecules formed from multiple monosaccharide units bonded together via glycosidic bonds like Lego bricks.
2006-09-01 05:46:24 · answer #2 · answered by fiat_knox 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In carbon chemistry, there are several classes of compounds including carbohydrates. These are commonly known as sugars. There are monosaccharides (single sugar), disaccharides (two sugars) and polysaccharides (many sugars). The terms refer to the number of sugar molecules chemically bonded together.
Monosaccharides are single sugar molecules that cannot be further hydrolysed (split by the addition of a water molecule) and include glucose, fructose and ribose. They are soluble in water.
Your DNA is composed of ribose sugar bonded to a nitrogenous base and a diphosphoester backbone.
But if glucose and fructose are joined together, they form sucrose which is a disaccharide.
Lots of glucose molecules joined together can form a polysaccharide such as glycogen, starch or cellulose. This arrangement makes them insoluble - which means they are kept inside the cells that store them.
2006-09-01 05:59:56 · answer #3 · answered by Allasse 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Monosaccharides are the simplest form of carbohydrates - simple sugars - but not for putting in your tea.
2006-09-01 07:36:18 · answer #4 · answered by Mrz.Fabz21 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Monosaccharides are the simplest form of carbohydrates - simple sugars - but not for putting in your tea.
2006-09-01 05:52:14 · answer #5 · answered by Colin A 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Monosaccharides are the simplest form of carbohydrates
2006-09-01 05:33:15 · answer #6 · answered by the_knight_in_rusty_armour 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
they belongs to the class of carbohydrates and they r the smallest molecules of sugars which can be further break down in molecules of carbohydrates.
the simplest and most popular sugar is glucose.
2006-09-01 05:39:57 · answer #7 · answered by kvb_2003 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Mono-saccharides are those carbohydrates which can't be hydrolyzed further into smaller components.
eg: Trioses, tetroses, pentoses, etc.
2006-09-01 05:32:55 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Simple sugars that are made up of chains of smaller monomers.
2006-09-01 10:43:20 · answer #9 · answered by Waky 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
mono is one. saccharides are sugars. so it is a one sugar compound. di- is 2 and poly- 3 or more that join.
2006-09-03 22:16:51 · answer #10 · answered by liesl v 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋