🧁 Types of Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are also called saccharides.

🍬 Mnemonic: Think of “Saccharide = Sugar”

There are three types of carbohydrates:

1. Monosaccharides – Simple sugars
2. Disaccharides – Double sugars
3. Polysaccharides – Many sugars joined together

1️⃣ Monosaccharides (Simple Sugars)

These are the simplest form of sugars.
They are made of only one sugar unit, which is why they are called mono- (meaning one).

🔹 Properties:

• Easily dissolve in water 💧
• Can have 3 to 7 carbon atoms
• Act as quick energy sources for living organisms

🔍 Real-life Example: Glucose in your blood is a monosaccharide. It’s like the “fuel” your cells need to work — just like petrol for a car!

📘 Common Monosaccharides

Let’s look at two important types:

🔸 Pentoses (5-carbon sugars):

• Ribose – Found in RNA
• Deoxyribose – Found in DNA
• Ribulose – Used in photosynthesis

🔸 Hexoses (6-carbon sugars):

• Glucose – Main energy source
• Fructose – Found in fruits
• Galactose – Found in milk