4 Major Biological Molecules - Carbohydrates

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Bread… Cake…. And even your favorite Ice Cream….   They all have this biological molecule called Carbohydrate. It is responsible for many of the anatomical and physiological functions in living organisms. Aren't you curious as to how the food ,containing these molecules, you eat associate with living organisms and contribute to it??  So, let’s get to know more about it and how important they are to us.

 People in the present world are more conscious about their health and therefore what they eat is of utmost importance. Carbohydrates are an important part of a healthy diet. Therefore, the word Carbs ( short for carbohydrates) can give nightmares to many who are following Diet plans.

 Carbs which are High in calories, Full of refined sugars such as corn syrup, white sugar, honey and fruit juices and Less in nutrients and fibers are the ones that will be the source to many of your health problems. 

E.g.: White Bread, Pastries, Soda and other Highly Processed food.

While Carbs with High nutrient and fiber content and low in cholesterol and saturated fat are your best friends. 

E.g.: Unprocessed or minimally processed food, whole grains, vegetables and fruits.

Carbohydrate is one of the Macro nutrients out of the 3 [the other 2 are Proteins and Fats]. Since it can't be processed within the body it has to be consumed through food.

Carbohydrates are synthesized in plants by a process called photosynthesis.

x CO2 + y H2O + solar energy → Cx(H2O)y + x O2

  It is an important type of molecule in maintaining the proper body functions and structure not just for humans but for all living organisms both animals and plants.

Carbohydrates or Saccharides (Greek sakcharon meaning sugar) are simple sugars and polymers of those simple sugars (which are identical repeating units or monomers, called monosaccharides, which can bond together through glycoside covalent bonds).  Or in other words Polyhydroxy aldehydes or ketones.

They are the most abundant out of the 4 Major Biological Molecules. [ Others are Proteins, Nucleic acids and Lipids]

 Their chemical composition is composed of mainly 3 essential macro elements Carbon, Hydrogen, and Oxygen. In addition, Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Sulphur macro elements can be seen in certain carbohydrates. 

The Hydrogen to Oxygen ratio in simple sugars is 2:1 similar to water i.e., for each C atom there is a water molecule in the simple sugar molecule. Therefore, the name “Carbohydrate” meaning “watered carbon”.  Certain exceptions can be seen where the above is not satisfied for e.g. Deoxyribose  C5H10O4 . 

At the same time, there are Non carbohydrate molecules which are hydrates of Carbon for e.g. acetic acid, C2H4O2; lactic acid, C3H6O3.

Carbohydrates can be generally divided into 3 according to the number of monomers involved.



They have a general empirical formula of [ C . H2O]n.

n= no. of C atoms in the molecule

n ≥ 3


Recommended YouTube video on this topic.Carbohydrates Intro (part 1)


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