Question

What are carbohydrates?

Hint:

Carbohydrates include sugars like glucose and fructose and are classified as aldoses or ketoses based on the functional group present.

Answer 1

Step 1: Carbohydrates contain multiple hydroxyl (\(-\text{OH}\)) groups along with either an aldehydic (\(-\text{CHO}\)) or ketonic (\(>\text{C}=O\)) functional group.
Step 2: Some carbohydrates may not directly have these groups but produce them upon hydrolysis.
Step 3: Due to the presence of asymmetric carbon atoms, carbohydrates are generally optically active.