Carbohydrates are a major energy source for living organisms. Our mitochondria break down carbohydrates and use the chemical energy released from its bonds to live. Carbohydrates always have a 1:2:1 ratio of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. Since the empirical formula is CH2O, they are called carbohydrates. Don't you just love that?
The monomers of carbohydrates are called monosaccharides and are also called simple sugars. They are usually ring-like and are composed of five or six carbons. They are either a polyhydroxy aldehyde or a polyhydroxy ketone, which means they have more than one hydroxide group (-OH) and one carbonyl group (C=O). Some popular monosaccharides are glucose, fructose, and galactose. Oligosaccharides are composed of 2-10 monomers.
However, some very important carbohydrates are composed of thousands of monomers and are called polysaccharides. Here are the main important polysaccharides:
- starch: Plants store their energy as starch using photosynthesis. We eat plants, breaking down the starch into its monomers and putting it to good use.
- cellulose: The cell walls around plants are composed of cellulose. Cellulose is a very important structural component of plants and it's what makes them snap when you rip them apart. Err, I mean - they provide support for the plant.
- glycogen: Animals store energy as glycogen. It's stored in the liver.
This is all I have to say about carbohydrates. I usually don't find them too interesting.