The Chemistry Book

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Carbohydrates are the main energy source for the human body. ^{CITATION REQUIRED} In chemistry, carbohydrates are organic molecules in which carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen all bond together in the ratio Cx(H₂O)y, where the "x" and "y" are the whole numbers that differ depending on the specific carbohydrate, "x" and "y" may or may not be equal and can sometimes range in value from 3 to 12. An example would be glucose, which is C₆(H₂O)₆ or more commonly written as C₆H₁₂O₆.

Chemical Formulas

The name "carbohydrate" derived from the formula Cx(H₂O)y, which was first determined in the nineteenth century. The formula indicated that the compounds were hydrates of carbon which is where the name comes from. Some names for carbohydrates are sugars, starches, saccharides, and polysaccarides, which is from the Latin word "sacchararum" from the sweet taste of sugars. ^[1]

Chemistry

The chemistry of carbohydrates most closely resembles the chemistry of alcohol, aldehyde, and ketone functional groups. This results with the modern definition of a carbohydrate which is that the compounds are polyhydroxy aldehydes or ketones.

The chemistry of carbohydrates is quite complicated due to the fact that there is a functional group on almost every carbon, in addition to that carbohydrates may exist in either a straight chain or a ring structure. The ring structures have two additional functional groups, which is the hemiacetal and acetal.

Carbon Cycle

A major part of the carbon cycle occurs as Carbon dioxide is connverted into carbohydrates through a process called photosynthesis. The carbohydrates are then used up by animals and humans in metabolism to produce energy.

References