Chapter 2.4, Problem 3LO

Summary Introduction

To explain:

Compare the structures of simple and complex carbohydrates.

Introduction:

The simple polysaccharides include the monosaccharide and disaccharides and the complex polysaccharides include starch, glycogen and cellulose. The carbohydrates are composed of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen atoms. The monosaccharides are composed of three to seven carbon atom molecules. The examples of monosaccharide include glucose, fructose which are found in fruits, galactose is found in milk. The examples of disaccharides include lactose, maltose and sucrose which are composed of glucose molecules. The examples of complex carbohydrates include glycogen, cellulose and starch.

Pictorial representation:

The structure of simple polysaccharide (glucose) and complex polysaccharide (glycogen) are shown in Fig. 1 (a) and (b).

Fig 1 (a): Simple polysaccharide glucose.

Fig. 1(b): Complex polysaccharide glycogen.