The Basics of Carbohydrates
Every carbohydrate you'll ever encounter contains just three elements: carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. Think of them as nature's energy storage units with the general formula Cx(H2O)y.
Carbohydrates fall into three main groups that get progressively larger. Monosaccharides are single sugars (like glucose), disaccharides are double sugars (like table sugar), and polysaccharides contain 8 or more sugar units (like starch).
Monosaccharides are the sweet-tasting, water-soluble building blocks. Their names depend on how many carbon atoms they contain: triose (3 carbons), pentose (5 carbons), or hexose (6 carbons). The hexose sugars with 6 carbons are the most important ones you'll study.
Quick Tip: Remember the pattern - tri means 3, pent means 5, and hex means 6, just like in geometry!
