Monosaccharides are often referred to as simple sugars (e.g., glucose) and cannot be hydrolyzed into simpler compounds. Based on the number of molecules of sugar in the compound, carbohydrates can be classified as (1) monosaccharide, one unit of sugar (2) disaccharide, two monosaccharides (3) oligosaccharide, three to fifteen monosaccharides and (4) polysaccharides, large polymers of simple sugars.Ī. The suffix “ ose” at the end of a biochemical name flags the molecule as a “sugar.” Among these, pentoses (e.g., ribose in ribonucleic acid (RNA)) and hexoses (e.g., glucose, or blood sugar) are the most common sugars in animal tissues. Based on the number of carbon atoms, a carbohydrate can be classified as triose (3 C), tetrose (4 C), pentose (5 C), and hexose (6 C).

One method of classifying carbohydrates is based on the number of carbon atoms per each molecule of a carbohydrate and on the number of molecules of sugar in the compound. Animal metabolism produces energy in a reverse process to that of photosynthesis in plants.

Structure of carbohydrates download