Carbohydrates
An Organic Compound
What is an organic compound, anyway? An organic compound is a compound that contains carbon, hydrogen, and most of the time oxygen. One type of organic compound is carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are made of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen (CH2O). Many people recognize carbohydrates in foods as sugars and starches, but they are so much more than that.
Carbohydrates are divided into three categories, including monosaccharides, disaccharides, and polysaccharides. Monosaccharides are simple sugars including glucose, galactose, and fructose. Disaccharides are two monsaccharides combined together, which include sucrose (glucose +fructose), maltose (glucose + glucose), and lactose (glucose + galactose). The third category of carbohydrates is polysaccharides. Polysaccharides are many long chains of glucose molecules.
Carbohydrates can be very important in green chemistry. Carbohydrates are able to capture solar energy by a process called photosynthesis. Also carbohydrates can be used to produce ethanol (C2H6) which can be added to gasoline or maybe can replace gasoline all together. Carbohydrates can be made into plastics or materials that are useful.
Carbohydrates can be found in different foods but they have the potential for green chemistry use. Maybe they will help the environment by creating a better plastic or other useful materials. Also, carbohydrates could help reduce the use of fossil fuels with the use of ethanol. Carbohydrates are important organic compounds.
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