BIOC 2300 Lecture Notes - Lecture 16: Molecular Recognition, Tetrose, Pyranose
13 Mar 2019
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Document Summary
In general terms, carbohydrates are hydrates of carbons. The smallest carbohydrate has three carbons (ex. glyceraldehydrate and dihydroxyacetone). Carbohydrates have various roles, the main ones being energy from the diet, structural support, and molecular recognition. Many proteins are modified with carbohydrates, which can then be involved in molecular recognition. One way is through the nature of the carbonyl group. In all the carbohydrates, all the oxygens are in alcohol form but there is one that in a carbonyl group. It can either be an aldehyde (on a carbohydrate) -> aldoses or a ketone (on a carbohydrate) -> ketoses. If you look at glyceraldehyde, the central carbon has 4 different substituents attached to it and hence is chiral. Sugars do need to be described by their chirality since they are chiral molecule. There is only one sugar that is not chiral and that is dihydroxyacetone.
