The three most common monosaccharides are glucose, fructose, and galactose. In addition to these three sugars, the monosaccharide category also includes sugar alcohols and pentoses.

Ribose and its related compound, deoxyribose, are the building blocks of the backbone chains in nucleic acids, better known as DNA and RNA. Ribose and deoxyribose are classified as monosaccharides, aldoses, pentoses, and are reducing sugars. …

Ribose and deoxyribose are classified as monosaccharides, aldoses, pentoses, and are reducing sugars. Ring Structure for Ribose: The chair form of ribose follows a similar pattern as that for glucose with one exception.

Monosaccharides contain a single unit; disaccharides contain two sugar units; and polysaccharides contain many sugar units as in polymers – most contain glucose as the monosaccharide unit….

Common monosaccharides. Fructose, glucose, and galactose are regarded as dietary monosaccharides since they are readily absorbed by the small intestines. They are hexoses with a chemical formula: C6H12O6. Glucose and galactose are aldoses whereas fructose is a ketose.

Ketose is the monosaccharide that contains ketone group along with the carbon chain. Ketose structure has three carbon atoms. The chemical formula of ketose is written as RCOR. An R group is any molecule or atom that can bind to the carbonyl atom (CO), forming an aldehyde.

To determine if an amino acid is L or D, look at the α carbon, so that the hydrogen atom is directly behind it. This should place the three other functional groups in a circle. Follow from COOH to R to NH2, or CORN. If this is in a counterclockwise direction, the the amino acid is in the L-isomer.

The d-isomer, d-glucose, also known as dextrose, occurs widely in nature, but the l-isomer, l-glucose, does not.

The hemiacetal carbon atom (C-1) becomes a new stereogenic center, commonly referred to as the anomeric carbon, and the α and β-isomers are called anomers. We can now consider how this modification of the glucose structure accounts for the puzzling facts noted above.

Alpha and Beta If the -OH group attached to it is below the ring, the molecule is alpha glucose. If the -OH group is above the ring, the molecule is beta glucose. Since the linear and cyclic forms of glucose inter-convert with each other, alpha glucose can turn into beta glucose and vice versa.

An anomer is a type of geometric variation found at certain atoms in carbohydrate molecules. An epimer is a stereoisomer that differs in configuration at any single stereogenic center. An anomer is an epimer at the hemiacetal/hemiketal carbon in a cyclic saccharide, an atom called the anomeric carbon.

Alpha-anomer (α-anomer): A carbohydrate in which the group bonded to the anomeric carbon is trans to the CH2O group on the other side of the pyranose or furanose ring ether oxygen atom. In β-D-glucopyranose the anomeric OH is cis to the CH2OH. Molecular structure of maltose, an α-disaccharide.

D-Glucose is the most important carbohydrate in mammalian metabolism. At equilibrium, the beta anomer of D-glucose predominates, because the -OH group of the anomeric carbon is in the more stable equatorial position of the more stable chair structure.

Polysaccharides, also called complex carbohydrates, are large non polar molecules, and they are not hydrophilic. The figure below shows the most common monosaccharides: glucose, fructose and galactose (six-carbon monosaccharides), and ribose and deoxyribose (five-carbon monosaccharides).

Ribose is an aldopentose (a monosaccharide containing five carbon atoms) that, in its open chain form, has an aldehyde functional group at one end. In d-ribose, as in all d-sugars, this carbon atom has the same configuration as in d-glyceraldehyde.

Molecular Cell Biology DNA contains deoxyribose as the sugar component and RNA contains the sugar ribose.

The sugar-phosphate backbone forms the structural framework of nucleic acids, including DNA and RNA. DNA and RNA are composed of nucleotides that are linked to one another in a chain by chemical bonds, called ester bonds, between the sugar base of one nucleotide and the phosphate group of the adjacent nucleotide.

Because Sweet Peas are vining, they need support to grow up and flower. Many types of structures can work such as a trellis, supports with mesh or twine, or fences. They need a structure that is well anchored in the ground to support the weight of the vines.

The seeds of sweet peas are mildly poisonous, containing lathyrogens that, if ingested, in large quantities can cause a condition called Lathyrus. Symptoms of Lathyrus are paralysis, labored breathing, and convulsions.

Sweet Peas can be very successfully grown in containers providing a few basic rules are observed. These are; The container needs to be sufficient volume for the number of plants with a minimum size of 20 litres. Sweet Peas have a large root system and can easily become pot bound.

If your plants aren’t flowering, it could be that they are not getting enough light (they need a minimum of 8 to 10 hours a day, but preferably nearer to 16 hours). Lack of flowers can also sometimes be a result of too much nitrogen fertiliser, which produces tall, leafy plants but no flowers.

Indoors you can place them by a window as long as they will not experience extreme heat from the sun during the day. Cooler night temperatures by a window are not a problem for sweet peas. You can also use fluorescent lights.

The main tip when growing sweet peas and broad beans in toilet roll holders, is to take care when watering and avoid soaking the cardboard otherwise it may go soggy and collapse. Sowing sweet peas and broad beans now is the ideal time as they are hardy annuals and love to get their roots down when it is cold and wet.

Perennial sweet peas (Lathyrus latifolius) are not fragrant but persist year to year in USDA zones 3–8, and flower in mild weather from spring to fall, as they do not require a specific day length to begin flowering.

You can buy sweet pea plug plants in spring.

First fill a large patio container with good quality multi-purpose compost. Or to grow your sweet peas in a flower border, fork in garden compost and a sprinkling of general fertiliser for an extra boost. Insert five or more 6ft/180cm bamboo canes to form a circle, tying the tops together with garden twine.

Plant sweet peas in front of each cane. Let plants grow to 30cm (12in) and then select the strongest shoot and remove the rest. Tie shoot to cane and regularly pinch off side shoots and tendrils. When plants have reached the top of canes, untie and lay stems on the ground.

After planting out, water the plants thoroughly to settle them in and again during dry spells. Feeding regularly throughout summer with a high potash liquid feed will help promote continuous flowering. Cut flowers frequently as they become ready, and certainly before the flowers fade and they produce seed pods.

Prune the plants back to the ground in late winter or early spring before growth begins. Prune sweet pea plants with diseased foliage back to the ground in fall. Discard, don’t compost, the leaves and stems of diseased plants to reduce the risk of future disease problems.

Sweet peas are heavy feeders, so amend soil well before planting with lots of rich compost or well-rotted manure. (Sweet peas grown in containers will need regular fertilization every few weeks.)

Once your seedlings have four true leaves, kick them out to cooler conditions. If you grow your seedlings hard, they tend to produce side shoots naturally. If you find yourself with leggy growth, nip out the top two leaves when you have four or more true leaves, to encourage bushy growth.