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  4. How many carbon atoms are generally used in composition of monosaccharides?

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Q. How many carbon atoms are generally used in composition of monosaccharides?

Biomolecules

Solution:

Carbohydrates are also called saccharides because their basic components are sugars. Monosaccharides are those sugars or simple carbohydrate monomers which cannot be hydrolysed further into smaller components. They have a general formula of $C_nH_{2n}O_n$. Depending upon the number of carbon atoms, monosaccnarides are of five types : trioses (having $3$ carbon atoms, e.g., glyceraldehyde), tetroses (having four carbon atoms, e.g., erythrose), pentoses (having five carbon atoms, e.g, ribose), hexoses (having six carbon atoms, e.g., glucose), heptoses (having seven carbon atoms, e.g., sedoheptulose).