Name: _________________________________

Molecular Modeling Activity for Carbohydrates

Introduction
Carbohydrates are naturally occurring compounds that are produced by green plants in the
process of photosynthesis. Carbohydrates are an important part of a healthy diet. Carbohydrates
provide the body with the fuel it needs for physical activity and for proper organ function.
Carbohydrates come from a wide array of foods such as bread, beans, milk, popcorn, potatoes,
cookies, spaghetti, corn, and cherry pie.

In this activity, you will;

(a) Learn to interpret the molecular and structural formulas of some
carbohydrates.
(b) Construct molecular models of some carbohydrates.

Materials
3D modeling kit for Carbohydrates

The Structure of Monosaccharides

Carbohydrates contain three different elements—carbon (C), hydrogen (H), and oxygen (0).
There are many different types of carbohydrates. They have been placed into three groups based
on size: monosaccharides, disaccharides, and polysaccharides.

The simplest group (monomer) of carbohydrates is the monosaccharides. The prefix “mono”
means one. Monosaccharides are sugars that are made up of only one molecule. Thus, they are
called single sugars. The one molecule, however, can have different shapes due to a different
arrangement of atoms. The common monosaccharides are glucose, fructose, and galactose.
Glucose is the most abundant monosaccharide in the body.

Examine the structural formula and

the molecular model of glucose.
Carbon: black models
Hydrogen: white models
glucose Oxygen: red models
Single Bonds: light gray

Fructose is found in fruit, honey, and high-fructose corn syrup, which is used in the production of
soft drinks, desserts, and confections. The presence of fructose in these products makes it a
major sugar in our diet. Galactose is the third major monosaccharide of nutritional importance.
Notice that glucose and galactose are almost identical except that the hydrogen (-H) and the
hydroxyl group (-OH) on carbon-4 are reversed. Galactose is not usually found free in nature in
large quantities but, rather, combines with glucose to form a disaccharide called lactose which is
present in milk and other dairy products.
glucose fructose galactose

Examine the structural formulas for these three sugars. Using the 3D model kit, build a model of
glucose and fructose.

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Examine the structural formulas for these sugars and use the 3D model kit to build models of
glucose and fructose.

1. What three elements are present in glucose, fructose, and galactose? ______
________________________________________________________________

2. How many atoms of carbon are present in a molecule of

glucose? ________________________________________________________
fructose? _______________________________________________________
galactose? _______________________________________________________

3. Add subscripts to the following that indicate the proper molecular formula. Do this by counting
the total number of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms in each molecule.
glucose C__H__O__
fructose C__ H__O__
galactose C__H__O__

4. How many times larger is the number of hydrogen atoms than oxygen atoms in a molecule of
glucose? _________________________________________________________
fructose? ________________________________________________________
galactose? _______________________________________________________

5. The molecular formula for water is H2O.

(a) How many times larger is the number of hydrogen atoms than oxygen atoms in a molecule of
water? _____________________________________________
(b) Is the number the same for monosaccharides and for water? _____________

6. Compare the model of glucose to fructose.

(a) Are they exactly the same in shape? ___________________________________

Procedure for the Construction of a Disaccharide

Two monosaccharide sugar molecules can join together chemically to form a larger carbohydrate
molecule called a double sugar, or disaccharide. The prefix “di-” means two. By chemically joining
a glucose molecule with a fructose molecule, a double sugar called sucrose and a water molecule
are produced.
glucose fructose

In order to join the molecules, remove an −OH end from one molecule and an -H end from
another. The production of a disaccharide is a chemical reaction called a dehydration synthesis
reaction. In such a reaction, the elements of water are removed and the glucose and fructose
molecules are joined to form the disaccharide. The carbons of each participating
monosaccharide are chemically bound together by the free oxygen.

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7. Does removing the -H and −OH ends allow the molecules to fit easily together?
________________________________________________________________

8. The -H and −OH ends that were removed can also fit together with each other to form a
molecule. This new molecule has a molecular formula of ___________
and is called ______________________________________________________

9. Write the molecular formula for sucrose. _____________________________

10. How many times larger is the number of hydrogen atoms than oxygen atoms in a
disaccharide? _________________________________________________

11. How many monosaccharide molecules are needed to form one sucrose molecule (hint:
sucrose is a disaccharide)?______________________________

Two forms of this C–O–C bond exists in nature, called alpha (α) bonds and beta (β) bonds. The
beta bond makes lactose difficult to digest for individuals who show a low activity of the enzyme
lactase. The beta bond cannot be broken by human intestinal enzymes during digestion when it
is part of a long chain of glucose molecules.

Ring-structure of sucrose, Ring-structure of lactose,

table sugar milk sugar

Alpha (α) bond between Beta (β) bond between

glucose and fructose glucose and galactose

Procedure for the Construction of a Polysaccharide

Just as double sugars were formed from two single sugar molecules using a dehydration
synthesis reaction, polysaccharides and water are formed when many single sugars are
chemically joined together. The prefix “poly-” means many. Starch, glycogen, and cellulose are
the three most common polysaccharides in biology. Starch, the major digestible polysaccharide
in our diet, is composed of many glucose units linked by alpha bonds and is the storage form of
energy in plants. Glycogen, the storage form of carbohydrate in humans and other animals, is a
glucose polymer with alpha bonds and numerous branches. Cellulose, dietary fiber, is a straight-
chain glucose polymer with beta bonds that are not broken down by human digestive enzymes.

Disassemble the molecular models of sucrose and galactose and build three molecules of
glucose.
glucose glucose glucose

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Construct a portion of a starch molecule by joining three glucose molecules. This will represent
only a small part of a starch molecule because starch consists of hundreds of glucose molecules.

12. What must be removed from the glucose molecules in order to have them easily fit together?
_____________________________________________

The molecular formula for a polysaccharide is written as (C6H10O5)n. The n equals the number of
times the C6H10O5 group is repeated. You can see this group as the middle glucose of your
model. REMEMBER: The -H and −OH ends of the middle molecule are missing.

13. Describe the process of dehydration synthesis. _______________________

________________________________________________________________

14. The word carbohydrate is derived from carbon and water (hydrate). Explain why this
combination correctly describes this chemical group. _______________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

15. Why are carbohydrates important in our diet? _______________________

16. Which elements are found in carbohydrates? ________________________

17. Name the monomer (and an example of it) for carbohydrates.

______________________________________________________________________

18. Name the most abundant monosaccharide in the human body. _______________

19. Name the polymer for carbohydrates, and give an example.

______________________________________________________________________

20. Name three foods that are good sources of carbohydrates. ___________________
______________________________________________________________________