Introduction to chemistry of carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are the most abundant macromolecules in nature. They are the main source and storage of energy in the body. They serve also as structural component of cell membrane. The general molecular formula of carbohydrate is CnH2nOn or (CH2O)n, where n > 3.
Chemically, they contain the elements like carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. Thus, they are Carbon compounds that contain large quantities of Hydroxyl groups (-OH).
Carbohydrates in general are polyhydroxy aldehydes or ketones or compounds which give these substances on hydrolysis.
1. Chemistry of Carbohydrates
Classification of Carbohydrates
There are three major classes of carbohydrates
• Monosaccharides (Greek, mono = one)
• Oligosaccharides (Greek, oligo= few) 2-10 monosaccharide units.
• Polysaccharides (Greek, Poly = many) >10 monosaccharide units.