Saccharides are carbohydrates - molecules made up of carbon, oxygen and hydrogen. Sugars, basically. A monosaccharide is a single carbohydrate molecule (the smallest possible being CH2O, but are also commonly found in a molecular ring structure, such as glucose. A disaccharide is simply two monosaccharide molecules covelently bound together. An example would be sucrose (table sugar), which is made from a glucose and fructose molecule bound together. The function of these simpler molecules in the body are as a source of energy. Your body can process glucose, for example to make ATP. Polysaccharides are longer chains of sugar molecules. These have many functions. An example is DNA, which is essentially a long chain of sugar molecules.
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They just have different amounts of subunits.
Monosaccharides have 1 subunit, disaccharides have 2, and polysaccharides have more than 2.
Examples:
Monosaccharide is glucose
Disacharide is lactose, which is made up of a glucose and one galactose
polysaccharide is glycogen, which is made up of many many subunits of glucose
Monosaccharides have 1 subunit, disaccharides have 2, and polysaccharides have more than 2.
Examples:
Monosaccharide is glucose
Disacharide is lactose, which is made up of a glucose and one galactose
polysaccharide is glycogen, which is made up of many many subunits of glucose