What are the monomers and polymers of carbohydrates?
1 Answer
Monomer of carbohydrates= monosaccharides
Polymer= (depends) disaccharide, oligosaccharide, polysaccharide
Carbohydrates are one of the four basic macromolecules of life. They are a polymer made up of monomers called monosaccharides. These building blocks are simple sugars, e.g., glucose and fructose.
Two monosaccharides connected together makes a disaccharide. For example, in sucrose (table sugar), a glucose and fructose link together.
Oligosaccharides are not discussed often in high school biology, but they are chains of three to nine monosaccharides.
Finally, polysaccharide is the name given to long chains of monosaccharides connected. Starch, which is common in foods like pasta, bread, and potatoes, is a polysaccharide made up of hundreds of glucose molecules bonded together!
Here is a site to check out if you want more info: Carbohydrates summary
