Carbohydrates

• Carbohydrates are sugars. They serve as sources of quick energy and as structural/building materials
• Most carbohydrates end in the letters "-ose"
• Monosaccharides are the monomers of carbohydrates
• Common examples of monosaccharides are glucose, fructose, galactose, ribose
• Polysaccharides are the polymers of carbohydrates
• Examples of polysaccharides are starch, glycogen, cellulose, and chitin
• Starch is used as an energy storage molecule in plants
• Glycogen is used as an energy storage molecule in animals
• Cellulose is used as a structural component of plant cell walls
• Cellulose is the most abundant organic compound on Earth. Due to the hydrogen bonds that occur in cellulose, it is very hard for most organisms to digest
• Chitin is used as a component of the exoskeleton of some animals and also fungal cell walls