Disaccharides

Disaccharides (di- = “two”) consist of two sugar molecules. They form when two monosaccharides undergo a dehydration reaction, forming a glycosidic bond. These bonds can be of the alpha or the beta type.

Above, the ring chemical structures of glucose on the left and fructose on the right with the O H group of Glucose C1 and O H group of fructose C2 highlighted. Below, Glucose C1 and Fructose C2 are linked via an oxygen atom labelled glycosidic bond. The complete disaccharaide is called sucrose.

Figure 1: Sucrose is formed when a monomer of glucose and a monomer of fructose are joined in a dehydration reaction to form a glycosidic bond between carbon 1 in glucose and carbon 2 in fructose. In the process, a water molecule is lost.

Common disaccharides include lactose, maltose, and sucrose.

Referred from: