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-as of [29 SEPTEMBER 2024]-
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(‘hydrates of carbon’)
(aka “water + carbon”)
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-a [biological molecule] consisting of ‘carbon’ (C), ‘hydrogen’ (H) and ‘oxygen’ (O) atoms, usually with a ‘hydrogen–oxygen’ atom ratio of 2:1 (as in ‘water’)-
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*in other words, with the empirical formula Cm(H2O)n *
(where m could be different from n)
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(some exceptions exist; for example, ‘deoxyribose’, a ‘sugar component’ of ‘DNA’, has the empirical formula C5H10O4)
(‘carbohydrates’ are technically ‘hydrates’ of ‘carbon’; structurally it is more accurate to view them as ‘polyhydroxy aldehydes’ and ‘ketones’)
(the term is most common in ‘biochemistry’, where it is a synonym of saccharide, a group that includes ‘sugars’, ‘starch’, and ‘cellulose’)
(the ‘saccharides’ are divided into 4 chemical groups: ‘monosaccharides’, ‘disaccharides’, ‘oligosaccharides’, and ‘polysaccharides’)
In general, the ‘monosaccharides’ and ‘disaccharides’, which are ‘smaller’ (aka ‘lower molecular weight’) carbohydrates, are commonly referred to as ‘sugars’)
(the word saccharide comes from the greek word σάκχαρον (sákkharon), meaning “sugar”)
(while the ‘scientific nomenclature’ of ‘carbohydrates’ is complex, the names of the ‘monosaccharides’ and ‘disaccharides’ very often end in the suffix ‘-ose’)
(for example, ‘grape sugar’ is the monosaccharide ‘glucose’)
(‘cane sugar’ is the disaccharide ‘sucrose’)
(‘milk sugar’ is the disaccharide ‘lactose’)
(‘carbohydrates’ perform numerous roles in ‘living organisms’)
(‘polysaccharides’ serve for the storage of ‘energy’ (e.g. ‘starch’ and ‘glycogen’) and as ‘structural components’ (e.g. ‘cellulose’ in ‘plants’ and ‘chitin’ in ‘arthropods’))
(the 5-carbon monosaccharide ‘ribose’ is an important component of ‘coenzymes’ (e.g. ‘ATP’, ‘FAD’, and ‘NAD’) and the backbone of the genetic molecule known as ‘RNA’)
(the related ‘deoxyribose’ is a component of ‘DNA’)
(‘saccharides’ and their ‘derivatives’ include many other important ‘biomolecules’ that play key roles in the ‘immune system’, ‘fertilization’, preventing ‘pathogenesis’, ‘blood clotting’, and ‘development’)
(in ‘food science’ and in many informal contexts, the term ‘carbohydrate’ often means any ‘food’ that is particularly rich in the complex carbohydrate ‘starch’ (such as ‘cereals’, ‘bread’, and ‘pasta’) or ‘simple carbohydrates’, such as ‘sugar’ (found in ‘candy’, ‘jams’, and ‘desserts’))
(often in lists of ‘nutritional information’, such as the ‘USDA National Nutrient Database’, the term “carbohydrate” (or “carbohydrate by difference”) is used for everything other than ‘water’, ‘protein’, ‘fat’, ‘ash’, and ‘ethanol’)
(this will include ‘chemical compounds’ such as ‘acetic’ or ‘lactic acid’, which are not normally considered ‘carbohydrates’)
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(it also includes “dietary fiber” which is a ‘carbohydrate’ but which does not contribute much in the way of ‘food energy’ (aka ‘calories’), even though it is often included in the calculation of ‘total food energy’ just as though it were a ‘sugar’)
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*carbo-hydrates*
‘glucose’
‘sucrose’
(so close)
‘ribose’
‘amylose’
(a major component of starch)
‘amylo-pectin’
‘maltose’
‘galactose’
‘fructose’
‘lactose’
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*👨🔬🕵️♀️🙇♀️*SKETCHES*🙇♂️👩🔬🕵️♂️*
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💕💝💖💓🖤💙🖤💙🖤💙🖤❤️💚💛🧡❣️💞💔💘❣️🧡💛💚❤️🖤💜🖤💙🖤💙🖤💗💖💝💘
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*🌈✨ *TABLE OF CONTENTS* ✨🌷*
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🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥*we won the war* 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥