Ch 10 Carbohydrates (not finished)

Question 1

What are carbohydrates critical for?

Answer 1

Energy storage and food
Structure and support
Protection
Recognition and signaling
Components of nucleotides

Question 2

Enantiomers definition

Answer 2

Non-superimposable mirror images of each other.

Example: D- and L-glyceraldehyde.

Question 3

Epimers definition

Answer 3

A type of diastereomer that differs at only one specific carbon atom.

Example: D-glucose and D-mannose differ at C-2.
D-glucose and D-fructose are constitutional isomers (same molecular formula)

Question 4

Anomers definition

Answer 4

A subtype of epimers that differ at the anomeric carbon (the carbon that was the carbonyl carbon in the linear form).

Question 5

Why do monosaccharides form ring structures
(glucose and fructose)

Answer 5

Monosaccharides like glucose and fructose commonly form ring structures (cyclization) in aqueous solutions due to the reaction between the carbonyl group and a hydroxyl group on the same molecule

Question 6

identify anomeric stereoisomers

Answer 6

Anomeric stereoisomers refer specifically to the two configurations (α and β) that occur at the anomeric carbon in cyclic forms:

α-D-Glucose: The -OH group on the anomeric carbon (C-1) is below the plane.

β-D-Glucose: The -OH group on C-1 is above the plane.

Question 7

what is the most important biological molecule? why?

Answer 7

D-Glucose is the central molecule because carbohydrates, lipids, and
proteins all ultimately break down into glucose, which then serves as the primary metabolic fuel.