Saccharides

CHEMISTRY OF SACCHARIDES

Saccharides - Any of a series of compounds of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen in which the atoms of the latter two elements are in the ratio of 2:1, especially those containing the group C6H10O5

The term is most common in biochemistry, where it is a synonym of carbohydrates. The carbohydrates (saccharides) are divided into four chemical groupings: 

1. Monosaccharides - (from Greek monos: single, sacchar: sugar) are the most basic units of biologically important carbohydrates. They are the simplest form of sugar and are usually colorless, water-soluble, crystalline solids. Some monosaccharides have a sweet taste. Examples of monosaccharides include glucose (dextrose), fructose (levulose), galactose, xylose and ribose. Monosaccharides are the building blocks of disaccharides such as sucrose and polysaccharides (such as cellulose and starch).

2. Disaccharides - the carbohydrate formed when two monosaccharides undergo a condensation reaction which involves the elimination of a small molecule, such as water, from the functional groups only. Like monosaccharides, disaccharides form an aqueous solution when dissolved in water. One of the more known examples is sucrose, the other lactose.

3. Oligosaccharides - (from the Greek oligos, a few, and sacchar, sugar) are saccharide polymer scontaining a small number (typically two to ten[1]) of component sugars, also known as simple sugars (monosaccharides). Oligosaccharides can have many functions; for example, they are commonly found on the plasma membrane of animal cells where they can play a role in cell–cell recognition.

In general, they are found either O- or N-linked to compatible amino acid side-chains in proteins or to lipid moieties.

4. Polysaccharides - Polysaccharides are long carbohydrate molecules, of repeated monomer units joined together by glycosidic bonds. They range in structure from linear to highly branched. Polysaccharides are often quite heterogeneous,...