Modern Carbohydrate Chemistry [antikvár]

1 Introduction I. THE ROLE OF CARBOHYDRATES II. CARBOHYDRATE CHEMISTRY: PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE I. THE ROLE OF CARBOHYDRATES Carbohydrates are easily identified as one of the most important classes of chemical compounds. They hold this elevated position because they are a collection of substances upon which all plant and animal life depend. This dependence is basic and multifaceted. Only a few of the roles played by carbohydrates need to be considered in order for their value to be appreciated. First, at perhaps the most fundamental level, carbohydrates are the molecules in which energy from the sun, our primary energy source, is stored by photosynthesis (Equation 1). In addition, all animals use co, . h.o carbohydrates ^ o, (i)