Question

What are Carbohydrates and how are they Classified?

Answer 1

Part 1: Carbohydrates

• Carbohydrates are a large group of naturally occurring organic compounds that are predominantly produced by plants.
• Cane sugar, glucose, and starch are examples of carbohydrates.
• They are categorized based on how they react to hydrolysis.

Part 2: Classification of carbohydrates

• They have been broadly classified into three groups.
• Monosaccharides, oligosaccharides, and polysaccharides are the three groups.

Monosaccharide

• A carbohydrate that cannot be hydrolyzed further to give a simpler unit of polyhydroxy aldehyde or ketone is called a monosaccharide.
• Examples of monosaccharides are glucose and fructose.

Oligosaccharides

• Carbohydrates that yield two to ten monosaccharide units, on hydrolysis, are called oligosaccharides.
• Example: One molecule of sucrose on hydrolysis gives one molecule of glucose and one molecule of fructose.

Polysaccharides

• Carbohydrates that yield a large number of monosaccharide units on hydrolysis are called polysaccharides.
• Examples are starch, cellulose, and glycogen.