User:Dermot O'Malley/Sandbox 3
From Proteopedia
(New page: Glucose Glucose is the primary source of energy for humans. It is a 'carbohydrate' meaning that each carbon atom is associated with one hydrate or H2O group. Glucose has 6 carbon atoms an...) |
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Glucose | Glucose | ||
Glucose is the primary source of energy for humans. | Glucose is the primary source of energy for humans. | ||
| - | It is a 'carbohydrate' meaning that each carbon atom is associated with one hydrate or H2O group. Glucose has 6 carbon atoms and therefore 12 hydrogen and 6 oxygen atoms. | + | It is a 'carbohydrate' meaning that each carbon atom is associated with one hydrate or H2O group. Glucose has 6 carbon atoms and therefore 12 hydrogen and 6 oxygen atoms. This is the simplest type of sugar, known as a monosaccharide. |
The carbon atoms are arranged in a circular fashion, and this is how glucose exists in nature, as opposed to the linear arrangement. The carbons are numbered 1 to 6, starting from the aldehyde group. | The carbon atoms are arranged in a circular fashion, and this is how glucose exists in nature, as opposed to the linear arrangement. The carbons are numbered 1 to 6, starting from the aldehyde group. | ||
If we look at the front view of glucose, we can see that the x and y groups lie on opposite sides of the carbon ring. This is known as a trans or alpha arrangement, and this is how blood glucose is structured. STARCH | If we look at the front view of glucose, we can see that the x and y groups lie on opposite sides of the carbon ring. This is known as a trans or alpha arrangement, and this is how blood glucose is structured. STARCH | ||
D AND L | D AND L | ||
| + | BONDS | ||
| + | |||
| + | Sugars have a relatively high number of hydroxyl groups, which means a high level of hydrogen bonding to water molecules. This means that glucose is highly soluble in aqueous environments like blood. These same properties that make glucose a hydrophobic molecule also mean that glucose is lipophobic, meaning that it cannot passively diffuse through the lipid bilayer of the cell wall. So instead glucose is actively transported through the cell wall by GluT. | ||
Revision as of 10:42, 23 August 2012
Glucose Glucose is the primary source of energy for humans. It is a 'carbohydrate' meaning that each carbon atom is associated with one hydrate or H2O group. Glucose has 6 carbon atoms and therefore 12 hydrogen and 6 oxygen atoms. This is the simplest type of sugar, known as a monosaccharide. The carbon atoms are arranged in a circular fashion, and this is how glucose exists in nature, as opposed to the linear arrangement. The carbons are numbered 1 to 6, starting from the aldehyde group. If we look at the front view of glucose, we can see that the x and y groups lie on opposite sides of the carbon ring. This is known as a trans or alpha arrangement, and this is how blood glucose is structured. STARCH D AND L BONDS
Sugars have a relatively high number of hydroxyl groups, which means a high level of hydrogen bonding to water molecules. This means that glucose is highly soluble in aqueous environments like blood. These same properties that make glucose a hydrophobic molecule also mean that glucose is lipophobic, meaning that it cannot passively diffuse through the lipid bilayer of the cell wall. So instead glucose is actively transported through the cell wall by GluT.
