Classification of Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are formally classified within organic chemistry based on their structural composition and hydrolyzability into monosaccharides (single units), oligosaccharides (two to ten units linked by glycosidic bonds), and polysaccharides (more than ten units). Monosaccharide subclassification relies on functional group presence, distinguishing aldoses from ketoses, while carbon atom count determines triose through heptose nomenclature. Polysaccharides are further distinguished as homopolymers composed of identical repeating monomer sequences or heteropolymers containing diverse sugar units within a single macromolecule.
Naming Monosaccharides by Carbon Count Carbonyl Group and D or L Configuration in Biochemistry
A monosaccharide is a single carbohydrate unit conforming to the empirical formula Cn(H2O)n — an approximately 1:2:1 ratio of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen — from which the term "hydrate of carbon" de…