Biological Cell Molecules: What Are Carbohydrates, Monosaccharides, Disaccharides, and Polysaccharides

One of the four types of biological molecules that occur in cells are carbohydrates. This can be a difficult subject for many people understand because of the way that they are broken down. Carbohydrates are used as an immediate energy source in living things. Additionally, they play structural roles within the cell. They can be split up into three categories monosaccharides, disaccharides, and polysaccharides. Carbohydrates are vital part of the world for both plants and animals alike.

A monosaccharide is a simple sugar molecule that has a 3 - 7 carbon backbone. An example of this is glucose, which has two isomers, fructose and galactose. Glucose is what cells use as an energy source. Disaccharides are to monosaccharides that have bonded together. An example of this is maltose. Yeast breaks down the maltose in beer for energy and in turn produces ethyl alcohol. This process is known as fermentation. Another example of a disaccharide is sucrose, or commonly known as table sugar.

The third type are polysaccharides, which are polymers of monosaccharides. Some of these function as a way for plants and animals to store energy molecules. Plants store all of the glucose as starch, while animals store all of their glucose as glycogen. Other types of polysaccharides function as structural components. For example cellulose helps plants form their cell walls. This is the most common type of all organic molecules and can only be digested by some microbes. Another example of a polysaccharides being used as a structural component is known as chitin. This is what animals like lobsters and crabs use to help create their exoskeletons.

Carbohydrates play a vital role in the study of biology. Without them, plants and animals would not be supplied with the amount of energy that they need in order to live. If you are able remember that basically all carbohydrates are sugars, they should be able to remember that they supply energy quickly to living things. Furthermore, if you remember the basic prefixes of mono, di, and poly, you should be able to figure out the breakdown of these carbohydrates. Just remember the mono always equals one, di equals two, and poly is larger than two, and you'll be good to go. Finally, remember that in addition to energy, carbohydrates offer storage and structural components to both plants and animals. They are a vital key for survival of organisms throughout the whole planet.