Biochemical Tests for Carbohydrates

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Biochemical Tests for Carbohydrates

Introduction

Carbohydrates take the form of sugars which act as one of three sources of energy for the human body, the other two being proteins and fats, and are also used in the construction of organs and nerve cells. As the name suggests, carbohydrates are hydrated carbon, therefore consisting of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen atoms. Glucose is simple sugar or monosaccharide, which derives from the Greek monos, single, and sacchar, sugar. All monosaccharides generally have a molecular formula which is a multiple of the empirical formula (CH2O)n, where n is the multiple.

Below is the monosaccharide ?-glucose, which has the molecular formula C6H12O6, due to the six carbon atoms, twelve hydrogen atoms and six oxygen atoms found within it. ß-glucose also has the molecular formula C6H12O6, as does fructose. However, these monosaccharides have differing structural formulas, meaning that they are isomas of glucose as the atoms found within them are arranged in a different manner. This is the case for many molecules, which leads to greater chemical variety, and therefore uses of substances. Monosaccharides can be grouped according to the number of carbon atoms they contain. For example, glucose and fructose are in the