Biomolecules:
Carbohydrates

GOALS:

After completing this module, you should:

• Recognize and understand the composition and functional groups of carbohydrates
• Be familiar with the properties of glucose, the most important monosaccharide
  • Be able to point out glucose's functional groups (aldehyde and alcohol)
  • Choose glucose's most common structural forms (linear vs. cyclic)
  • Describe the difference between the α and β anomers of glucose
• Understand how monosaccharides are linked together to form disaccharides
  • Describe condensation reactions
  • Point out the difference between α and β glycosidic bonds
• Know the properties of some common polysaccharides: starch, glycogen, and cellulose
  • Point out how cellulose is different from starch and glycogen
  • Show how amylose and amylopectin are different

Introduction

"Why can't people eat grass as cows do?" If you have ever asked yourself this question, this is the module for you. Here you will learn about the properties of carbohydrates, the main component of sugar, honey, and plant cell walls. You are probably familiar with the role that carbohydrates play in energy storage. But carbohydrates also have many other important roles in cells, such as structural support and cell-cell recognition. By the end of this module you should be able to answer the question asked above and understand carbohydrates and the roles they play a little better.

Carbohydrates