1.3 Classifications of Carbohydrates

• Empirical Formula of simple Carbohydrates

  
• Monosaccharide

  • 1 saccharide
  • Cannot be broken down into simpler substances by hydrolysis reactions.
  • Contains 3-7 carbon atoms.
  • Examples: glucose and fructose

  
• Disaccharide

  • Contains 2 monosaccharide units covalently bonded to each other.
  • Crystalline and water soluble substances.
  • Examples: Sucrose, Lactose, and Maltose

  
• Oligosaccharides

  • Contains 3 - 10 monosaccharide units.
  • Seldom encountered in biochemical systems.
  • Usually found associated with proteins and lipids in complex molecules.
  • Example: Raffinose

  
• Polysaccharides

  • More than 10 monosaccharide units.
  • Number of monosaccharide units varies from a few 100 units to 50,000 units.
  • Examples: Cellulose (paper, wood, cotton) and Starch (bread, rice, pasta)