Structure and Function of Carbohydrates

All carbon-containing substances, often known as organic chemicals, found in living organisms are classified as biomolecules. They are organic substances found in living cells that play a role in living organisms’ management and metabolic processes. Organic molecules such as carbohydrates, proteins, nucleic acid, and lipids make up cells and cellular organelles. A biomolecule is a good name for them. A cell also contains inorganic components like water and minerals.

Carbohydrates: Carbohydrates are a wide collection of naturally occurring chemical molecules that are predominantly produced by plants. Sugars are a type of carbohydrate that has a sweet taste. Cane sugar, glucose, starch, and other sugars are common examples.

Structure of carbohydrates: Chemically described as optically active polyhydroxy aldehydes or ketones,  Carbohydrates are also the term given to those substances that produce units as the above when hydrolyzed. They are the hydrates of carbon which is where the term carbohydrate comes from. The general formula for most carbohydrates is as given below; all substances that meet this formula, however, may not be categorized as carbohydrates.

Cx(H2O)y

E.g., glucose- (C6H12O6), which can be written as- C6(H2O)6

Classification of carbohydrates: Carbohydrates are categorized based on how they react to hydrolysis. They have been categorized into the following three categories:

1. Monosaccharides: A monosaccharide is a carbohydrate that cannot be degraded even more to produce the simpler unit of polyhydroxy aldehyde or ketone. They have been further divided into groups based on the number of carbon atoms and the functional group in which they are found.
2. Glucose and fructose are two common examples.
3. Oligosaccharides: Oligosaccharides are carbohydrates that can be broken down into two to ten monosaccharide molecules when hydrolyzed. They are further divided into disaccharides, trisaccharides, tetrasaccharides, and so on, based on how many monosaccharides they produce when hydrolyzed.
4. E.g., after hydrolysis, sucrose provides one molecule of glucose and one molecule of fructose. As a result, sucrose is classified as a disaccharide. 
5. Polysaccharides: Polysaccharides are carbohydrates that, when hydrolyzed, release a significant number of monosaccharide molecules. Starch, cellulose, and glycogen are a few examples.

The function of carbohydrates:

1. The most widespread organic component found in nature is cellulose, which is found in the cell walls of plants.
2. It is employed as a source of energy in both plants and animals.
3. Starch is an essential reserve component in plants, and glycogen is an important storage form in mammals.
4. A five-carbon sugar is found in nucleic acids, i.e., Ribose in RNA and deoxyribose in DNA.