Overview of Carbohydrates
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Carbohydrates (saccharides) are the most abundant organic molecules in nature.
OVERVIEW
Carbohydrates
(saccharides) are the most abundant organic molecules in nature. They have a
wide range of functions, including providing a significant fraction of the
dietary calories for most organisms, acting as a storage form of energy in the
body, and serving as cell membrane components that mediate some forms of
intercellular communication. Carbohydrates also serve as a structural component
of many organisms, including the cell walls of bacteria, the exoskeleton of
many insects, and the fibrous cellulose of plants. The empiric formula for many
of the simpler carbohydrates is (CH2O) n, where n ≥ 3, hence the
name “hydrate of carbon.”
Figure 7.1 Examples of
monosaccharides found in humans, classified according to the number of carbons
they contain.
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