Carbohydrates Class Notes For Biochemistry

Carbohydrates are carbon compounds that contain many hydroxyl groups (-OH), CH2O, hydrated carbon or hydroxycarbon. A hydroxycarbon will be either a monosaccharide or a carbohydrate. They belong to two distinct families, aldehydes or ketones. Carbohydrates can be made up of one, two or any number of sugars to make a chain. Since proteins, lipids and carbohydrates have the same backbone, a carbon chain, in the body if there is a deficit of carbohydrates, lipids can be converted to carbohydrates due to the same backbone. Protein is the only essential macronutrient in the body out of lipids and carbohydrates both of which are non-essential. We can easily differentiate by looking at a structure whether it is a protein, carbohydrate or lipid. The carbons in lipid will have hydrogens attached to it, the carbons in carbohydrates will have OH attached to them and in proteins we can see an alpha carbon attached to an amine group, carboxyl group and a hydrogen. The differences between ketones and aldehydes are majorly 3:The number of carbon atoms. The spatial organisation of the -OH (hydroxyl) groups. The position of the carbonyl group. The