• Consists of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen
• Monosaccharides are the simple sugars and are the monomers of more complex carbohydrates. E.g. glucose.
• Disaccharides arises when two monosaccharides join together E.g. sucrose = fructose + glucose.
• Polysaccharides are the polymers made up of many monosaccharides. E.g. cellulose – made up of many glucose molecules.
• Glycosidic linkages is what holds the monosaccharides together in disaccharides and polysaccharides.
• Reaction that occurs between the monosaccharides to form glycosidic linkages = condensation reaction.

Main roles of carbohydrates:

• Energy – glucose
• Storage of energy – glycogen and starch
• Structural components – cellulose