1. Function
1.1. Energy source and storage
1.2. Cell wall composition
1.3. Recognition events between proteins and cells
1.4. Signalling
1.5. Components of other biological molecules such as antibiotics, enzyme cofactors and nucleic acids
1.6. Example 1: Carbohydrates in the liver and muscle tissue acts as energy storage, when the sugar levels are low, carbonhydrates are broken down to ensure that glucose remains in the blood = energy
1.7. Example 2 Recognition: carbonhydrates can act in recognition events due to the surface carbohydrates on a cell that indicate where signal should be carried out; it can also signal a change in the environment for cell to adapt accordingly
2. Structure of Carbonhydrates are mostly made out of C, H, and O
2.1. Sugar is the simplest unit
2.1.1. dehydration/condensation process process to create Oligosaccharides (upto 20 sugars) and Polysaccharides (20 sugars and above)
2.2. Chirality can be determined by the chirality of highest number carbon (D versus L)
2.2.1. D-Glucose
2.2.1.1. D chirality is found in biologically by norm
2.2.1.2. has 4 chiral centers
2.2.1.3. there fore 2^4 = 16 variants of this hexose
2.2.1.4. chirality is determined by the carbon that is most distal from the functional group
2.2.2. Epimer
2.2.2.1. Stereoisomers differing by configuration of only one of several chiral centers
2.2.2.2. D-Glucose (glc)
2.2.2.2.1. (hydroxyl group on the right)
2.2.2.3. D-Mannose (man)
2.2.2.3.1. not an epimer of galactose (diasteriomers instead)
2.2.3. Enantiomers
2.2.3.1. D-Glucose
2.2.3.2. L-Glucose
2.2.3.3. Mirror images of each other, stereochemistry around each chiral center is the opposite of the other
2.2.4. Mutarotation
2.2.4.1. Creation of new chirality center
2.2.4.2. Rotation of the plane of polarized light, formation of a new chiral center as the molecule is cyclized
2.2.4.3. Formation of Hemiacetal
2.2.4.3.1. attack of alcohol on aldehyde creates a new chiral center, called the anomeric carbon atom
2.3. Monosaccharides
2.3.1. aldehyde or ketone derivatives os straight chain alcohols
2.3.1.1. Aldose such as D glyceraldehyde
2.3.1.1.1. D-Glyceraldehyde
2.3.1.1.2. D-Ribose (Rib)
2.3.1.1.3. D-Glucose (Glc)
2.3.1.1.4. D-Mannose (Man)
2.3.1.1.5. D-Galactose (Gal)
2.3.1.2. Ketose: Dihydroxacetone
2.3.1.2.1. Dihydroxyacetone
2.3.1.2.2. D-Erythrulose
2.3.1.2.3. D-Ribulose
2.3.1.2.4. D-Fructose
2.3.2. at least 3 carbon atoms
2.3.3. NAME: triose
2.4. Oligosaccharides
2.5. Poplysaccharides
2.6. Suffix: -ose
3. The properties of Carbonhydrates
3.1. No genetic blueprint; unlike protein, with different kind of sugar attach to each other
3.2. Heterogeneous
3.2.1. Branched
3.2.2. Unbranched
3.2.3. Homopolymers
3.2.4. Heteropolymers