Answer:
This is a question with multiple parts in it, so here goes the answers and the short explanations, because it is a long one.
1. What is a carbohydrate: Carbohydrates are organic compounds, that can be found as sugar or starch and that are high providers of energy for living organisms. Their chemical composition is basically a combination of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen atoms, in different configurations, depending on the complexity of the compoung and the molecules that form it.
2. List three facts about glucose: a) Glucose is the most basic molecular unit in carbohydrates and it is the preferred energy provider for certain organs in the human body, like the brain. b) Glucose is also a product of photosynthetic pathways in plants, as glucose also is the preferred energy provider. c) Glucose is a simple monosaccharide and is commonly known as a simple sugar.
3. Assume that you are trying to identify an unknown organic molecule. It contains only carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen... What type of organic compound is it? Why?: Basically we would be talking about a carbohydrate here and the reason is because of the chemical composition given to us by the question itself. A basic composition of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, with nothing else added, is the very chemical definition of carbohydrate compounds.
4. Compare and contrast the structures and functions of simple sugars and complex carbohydrates. The essential units of carbohydrates (starch and sugar) are monosaccharides, meaning, their carbon, hydrogen and oxygen structure is a pretty simple one. These monosaccharides like glucose, or fructose, are the most basic energetic molecules and are the ones used for energy production by cells. All other types of sugars will first be broken down into monosaccharides to be used as fuel by cells. Disaccharides are a combination of monosaccharides and their advantage is that their breakdown produces even more energy than monosaccharides. Also, more monosaccharide numbers can be taken out of the consumption of foods made up of disaccharides. Polysaccharides, or complex carbohydrates are a combination of mono and disaccharides, as well as other components, and we usually know them as the carbohydrates. These will yield most of the energetic material needed by cells to work in the absence of other fuels and when in excess, parts of their molecules will be stored by the body as glycogen and also as fat.
