aldosaccharides

Aldosaccharides are a class of carbohydrates that contain an aldehyde functional group. They are also known as aldoses. Monosaccharides are the simplest form of carbohydrates and aldosaccharides are a type of monosaccharide. The general formula for an aldosaccharide is C n H 2n O n, where n is typically an integer greater than or equal to three. The most common aldosaccharides are monosaccharides, such as glucose and galactose, which are essential components of many biological molecules like starch and cellulose.

The structure of an aldosaccharide is characterized by a carbon chain with an aldehyde group at one end (the carbonyl carbon, C1) and hydroxyl groups on the other carbons. The number of carbon atoms in the chain determines the specific type of aldosaccharide. For example, a three-carbon aldosaccharide is called a triose (like glyceraldehyde), a four-carbon aldosaccharide is a tetrose, a five-carbon aldosaccharide is a pentose (like ribose), and a six-carbon aldosaccharide is a hexose (like glucose). These molecules are chiral, meaning they can exist as stereoisomers, which have different spatial arrangements of their atoms. This chirality is crucial for their biological functions.