Name(s):_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Carbohydrates
The first step in understanding carbohydrates is to recognize their structure. Below is the common
building block for many carbohydrates. It is called glucose. Glucose can be found in a chain form or the
ring form. We will focus on the ring form because that is the form glucose takes in your bodies
Step 1: Use the diagram above and molecule packet #1 to build glucose. In the molecule packet you will
find the following:
 White or Green tubes (48) these represent to covalent bond formed between two atoms.
 Black model pieces (12) these represent carbon atoms.
 White model pieces (24) these represent hydrogen atoms.
 Red model pieces (12) these represent oxygen atoms.
Follow the diagram above as you join carbon atoms, hydrogen atoms, and oxygen atoms to build your
own glucose molecule.
Question
1. What functional groups do you see?
2. What property does this functional group give glucose? What will happen to it in water?
3. What is the chemical formula for glucose?
4. What type of carbohydrate is glucose?
Circle One:
Monosaccharide
5. What is the primary function of glucose?
Disaccharide
Polysaccharide
Step 2: Use the diagram above and the remaining model pieces in packet #1 to build fructose. Note: not
all the carbons are shown in the diagram – they are understood to be at the points of the ring.
6. What is the chemical formula for fructose?
7. Do you notice anything about glucose and fructose? What kind of molecules are they?
Step 3: Following the diagram above, join glucose and fructose to form sucrose.
8. What type of reaction is this?
9. What two molecules are produced from this reaction?
10. What type of carbohydrate is sucrose?
Circle One:
Monosaccharide
Disaccharide
Polysaccharide
11. What is the chemical
formula for sucrose?
12. What is the chemical
formula for lactose?
13. What kind of molecules are
sucrose and lactose (based on
their chemical formulas)?
14. Glycogen is polysaccharide
found in animals. What are two
common polysaccharides found
in plants?
15. What are the two functions
of polysaccharides?