Carbohydrates

Question 1

what are carbohydrates

Answer 1

• biological molecules containing carbon, hydrogen and oxygen atoms
• fundamental cellular component vital for cellular function
• also termed “saccharides”

Question 2

what do carbohydrates do

Answer 2

provide rapid and readily available supply of energy for cellular reactions
- e.g. muscle and liver glycogen
form part of important molecules in the cell
- e.g. sugar-phosphate backbones in DNA
form markers on the cell surface which aids cell recognition
- blood group markers

Question 3

what is an oligosaccharide

Answer 3

a polymer of 3-20 monosaccharides

Question 4

stereoisomers

Answer 4

have the same chemical formula
same orders and types of bonds 
are over non-overlapping mirror images of each other and thus have 
- different spatial arrangements 
- different biological functions

Question 5

what is glucose

Answer 5

• the primary energy source for life
• seven energy-rich C-H bonds
• bonds broken down during cellular respiration
• released energy stored as ATP for use by the cell

Question 6

what are glycoproteins

Answer 6

proteins that contain oligosaccharide chains attached covalently to the protein structure

Question 7

what are glycolipids

Answer 7

lipids that contain oligosaccharide chains attached covalently to the lipid structure

Question 8

what is glycogen

Answer 8

complex branched polysaccharide of linear chains of alpha 1,4-linked D-glucose residues joined through alpha-1,6-linked branch points

Question 9

what is the uses of glycogen

Answer 9

storage polymer of animals, found in liver and muscle cells