Question

Write the formula for a monosaccharide that has three carbons?

Short answer

C₃H₆O₃ is the formula for a three-carbon monosaccharide.

Step-by-step solution

Meaning of monosaccharide

Simple sugars refer to monosaccharides. They are made up of a single unit of polyhydroxy aldehyde or ketone. These are crystalline solids that are colorless and easily soluble in water but insoluble in nonpolar solvents.

Simple sugars can be utilized as a source of energy, transformed into other organic molecules, joined into polymers, and formed into rings. D-glucose, a six-carbon sugar, is the most prevalent monosaccharide.

 Step 2: Structure of monosaccharide

Unbranched carbon chains, in which single bonds link all carbon atoms, form the backbone of common monosaccharide compounds. Monosaccharides can function on their own or as a monomer for disaccharides and polysaccharides.

In monosaccharides, one of the carbon atoms is double-bonded to an oxygen atom to form a carbonyl group in the open-chain form. In contrast, each of the other carbon atoms has a hydroxyl group.

The monosaccharide is an aldose if the carbonyl group is at the end of the carbon chain (in an aldehyde group); the monosaccharide is a ketose if the carbonyl group is at any other position (in a ketone group).

Formula of three carbon monosaccharides

Monosaccharides have the chemical formula (CH2O)n, with n equal to more than 3. Thus, the formula for trioses is (CH2O)3, i.e., C3H6O3.

Glyceraldehyde or dihydroxyacetone has the formula C3H6O3. These two three-carbon monosaccharides are trioses; glyceraldehyde is an aldotriose, and dihydroxyacetone is a ketotriose.