Title: Week 5 - Unit 2-2_Carbohydrates
Course: Biochemistry

Introduction

Carbohydrates are organic molecules produced by photosynthetic organisms; they are synthesized from inorganic molecules: water and carbon dioxide. They are found on outer part of the cell surface form the cell coat and intervene in various cellular functions such as cellular communication, recognition, attachment and so on. Inside the cell, carbohydrates serve as cellular fuel; they are the main source of energy in the cell.

Expectation

In this lesson, we'll be talking about carbohydrates. The word 'carbohydrate' comes from the atom carbon and hydrate, or water, because the first carbohydrates that were discovered consisted of carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen atoms. To give you an idea of what these look like, well, first we'll introduce four sugars that you come across often in biology, and then we'll move on to discuss how they can come together to form larger polysaccharides.

Course outline

1. Monosaccharides
2. Disaccharides
3. Polysaccharides

Learning outcomes

At the end of this unit, you should be able to:

- Explain the classification and the structure of carbohydrates
- List common monosaccharides, disaccharides, and polysaccharides
- Describe how the chemical structure of monosaccharide leads to the formation of complex and branched carbohydrates.