Question

Define "Monosaccharide", "Disaccharide", "Oligosaccharide", "Polysaccharide", and "Glucoconjugate"

Answer 1

Explanation:

Monosaccharides are the elementary form of the sugar and most basic units of  the carbohydrates. These sugars cannot be further hydrolyzed to form the simpler chemical compounds. The general formula is $C_nH_{2n}O_n$. Example: Glucose and fructose.

Disaccharide is sugar which is formed when the two monosaccharides are joined by the glycosidic linkage. Disaccharides are soluble in the water. Examples: sucrose and lactose.

Oligosaccharide is the saccharide polymer which contains small number of the monosaccharides. They can have many functions like the cell recognition and the cell binding. Example: glycolipids which have role in immune response.

Polysaccharides are the polymeric carbohydrate molecules which are composed of the long chains of the monosaccharide units that are bound together by the glycosidic linkages which on the hydrolysis give constituent monosaccharides or th eoligosaccharides. Example: Starch.

Glycoconjugates is general classification for the carbohydrates which are covalently linked with the other chemical species such as peptides, proteins, saccharides and lipids.  Example: Blood proteins