Carbohydrate chemistry
Carbohydrate chemistry is a subdiscipline of chemistry primarily concerned with the synthesis, structure, and function of carbohydrates. Due to the general structure of carbohydrates, their synthesis is often preoccupied with the selective formation of glycosidic linkages and the selective reaction of hydroxyl groups; as a result, it relies heavily on the use of protecting groups.
Monosaccharides
Individual saccharide residues are termed monosaccharides.
Carbohydrate synthesis
Main article: Carbohydrate synthesis
Glycosidic bond formation
- Chemical glycosylation
- Fischer glycosidation
- Glycosyl halide
- Koenigs-Knorr reaction
Protecting groups
Oligosaccharides
Main article: Oligosaccharide
Reactions of carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are reactants in many organic reactions. For example:
- Cyanohydrin reaction
- Lobry-de Bruyn-van Ekenstein transformation
- Amadori rearrangement
- Nef reaction
- Wohl degradation
- Tipson-Cohen reaction
- Ferrier rearrangement
- Ferrier II reaction
Functions of carbohydrates
Carbohydrates have five major functions within the body:
- Energy supply, particularly for the brain in the form of glucose
- Avoiding the breakdown of amino acids for energy
- Avoiding ketosis from the breakdown of fatty acids
- Cellular and protein recognition
- Dietary fiber
Energy supply, particularly for the brain in the form of glucose
Main articles: Carbohydrate catabolism and Glucose
Avoiding ketosis from the breakdown of fatty acids
Main article: Ketosis
Cellular and protein recognition
Glycoprotein hormones may be removed by the liver from the bloodstream when the passage of time causes the breaking-off of carbohydrates from the glycoproteins.
Dietary fiber
Main article: Dietary fiber
See also
Carbohydrate Structure
- Carbohydrate
- Carbohydrate Conformation
- Monosaccharide
- Disaccharide
- Polysaccharide
- Anomeric effect
- Glycosidic bond