Monosacharides
This 6-carbon sugar is the primary source of energy for cellular respiration and the main product of photosynthesis.
Better known as table sugar, this disaccharide is formed by chemically bonding glucose and fructose.
Sucrose
Plants store their excess glucose in this polysaccharide format, which humans frequently eat in potatoes and grains.
Starch
Carbohydrates get their name because they are composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, typically in this exact ratio.
1:2:1 (or CHâ‚‚O)
This common laboratory solution changes from yellowish-brown to dark blue/black in the presence of starch.
Iodine solution (or Lugol's iodine)
Often called "fruit sugar," this highly sweet monosaccharide is an isomer of glucose and galactose.
Fructose
This is the specific type of covalent bond that links two monosaccharides together after a dehydration synthesis reaction.
Glycosidic linkage
Often called "animal starch," this highly branched polysaccharide is how humans store glucose in the liver and muscles.
Glycogen
This chemical reaction breaks down complex carbohydrates into monomers by adding a molecule of water.
Hydrolysis
This copper-based blue reagent is heated with a solution to test for the presence of reducing simple sugars, turning green, orange, or red.
Benedict's reagent
Ribose and Deoxyribose
Individuals with a certain food intolerance lack the enzyme needed to break down this disaccharide found in milk.
Lactose
This tough, insoluble polysaccharide makes up the cell walls of plants and provides dietary fiber for humans.
Cellulose
Monosaccharides are chemically classified into these two groups based on whether their carbonyl group is an aldehyde or a ketone.
Aldoses and Ketoses
These carbohydrate-protein hybrid molecules on outer cell membranes act as critical ID tags for cellular recognition and communication.
Glycoproteins
Glucose and galactose are examples of this specific type of isomer, meaning they differ in configuration around only one specific carbon atom.
Epimers
Maltose is formed by a linkage between the carbon-1 and carbon-4 of two glucose molecules, a bond formally designated by this Greek letter and numbers.
Alpha-1,4-glycosidic bond
This nitrogen-containing polysaccharide forms the crunchy exoskeletons of arthropods and the cell walls of fungi.
Chitin
Human enzymes can easily digest the alpha-linkages in starch, but cannot digest cellulose because its glucose monomers are linked by this type of bond.
Beta-1,4-glycosidic bond
In the human body, this hormone secreted by the pancreas triggers cells to absorb glucose, lowering blood sugar levels.
Insulin
Simple sugars switch between open-chain and ring forms; this specific carbon atom becomes a new asymmetric center during that ring closure.
The Anomeric Carbon
Because sucrose has its anomeric carbons locked in a glycosidic bond, it is classified as this type of sugar, failing to react with Benedict's reagent.
Non-reducing sugar
While starch consists of unbranched amylose and branched amylopecitin, amylopectin utilizes this specific bond type at its branch points.
Alpha-1,6-glycosidic bond
This structural polysaccharide found in plant cell walls is made up of a complex mix of branched sugars like xylose and arabinose, distinct from pure glucose chains.
Hemicellulose
This extracellular matrix component consists of a small core protein heavily attached to glycosaminoglycan chains, providing cushioning to joints.
Proteoglycan