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Carbohydrate

  • Reference work entry
Encyclopedia of Astrobiology

  • 171 Accesses

Synonyms

Disaccharide; Monosaccharide; Oligosaccharide; Polysaccharide; Saccharide; Sugar

Keywords

Cellulose, formaldehyde, formose, fructose, glucose, glyceraldehyde, glycolaldehyde, origins of life, primordial soup, ribose, sucrose, sugars

Definition

Carbohydrates are composed solely of carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen, and consist of a general formula C n (H2O) n . The ratio of carbon to hydrogen to oxygen atoms in a carbohydrate is 1:2:1. Carbohydrates are involved in cell signaling, serve as a source of energy, and provide structure to cells. Chains that alternate negatively charged phosphates with carbohydrates forms the backbones of the genetic biopolymers RNA and DNA.

Overview

Carbohydrates are an essential component of life on Earth. From ribosebeing an integral component of the genetic biopolymers DNA and RNA, to polymers of glucose used for cell wall support in plants, carbohydrates are involved in many varied and crucial biological roles. The complex structures of...

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References and Further Reading

  • Breslow R (1959) On the mechanism of the formose reaction. Tetrahedron Lett 1:22–26

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  • Butlerov A (1861) Formation synthétique d’une substance sucrée. Comp Rend Acad Sci 53:145–147

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  • Hollis JM et al (2004) Green bank telescope observations of interstellar glycolaldehyde: low temperature sugar. Astronphys J 613:L45–L48

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  • Larralde R, Robertson MP, Miller S (1995) Rates of decomposition of ribose and other sugars: implications for chemical evolution. Proc Nat Acad Sci USA 92:8158–8160

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  • Powner MW, Gerland B, Sutherland JD (2009) Synthesis of activated pyrimidine ribonucleotides in prebiotically plausible conditions. Nature 459:239–242

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  • Ricardo A, Carrigan M, Olcott AN, Benner SA (2004) Borate minerals stabilize ribose. Science 303:196

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  • Sephton M (2002) Organic compounds in carbonaceous meteorites. Nat Prod Rep 19:292–311

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  • Šišak D, McCusker LB, Zandomeneghi G, Meier BH, Bläser D, Boese R, Schweizer WB, Gilmour R, Dunitz JD (2010) The crystal structure of D-ribose – at last! Angew Chem Int Ed 49:4503–4505

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  • Snyder LE, Buhl D, Zuckerman B, Palmer P (1969) Microwave Detection of Interstellar Formaldehyde. Phys Rev Lett 22:679

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  • Weaver SLW, Blake GA (2005) 1, 3-Dihydroxyacetone in Sagittarius B2(N-LMH): the first interstellar ketose. Astronphys J 624:L33

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, University of Florida, 1527 NW 8th Ave, 32603, Gainesville, FL, USA

    Dr. Heshan “Grasshopper” Illangkoon

Authors
  1. Dr. Heshan “Grasshopper” Illangkoon
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Heshan “Grasshopper” Illangkoon .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Astrophysicist, Laboratoire d’Astrophysique de Bordeaux, BP 89, 33270, Floirac, France

    Muriel Gargaud

  2. Departamento de Planetología y Habitabilidad Centro de Astrobiología (CSIC-INTA), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid Campus Cantoblanco, Torrejón de Ardoz, 28049, Madrid, Spain

    Ricardo Amils

  3. Department of Astrophysics, Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC) Ctra de Ajalvir km 4, 28850 Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain

    José Cernicharo Quintanilla

  4. Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington, 5251 Broad Branch Rd. NW, Washington, DC, 20015, USA

    Henderson James (Jim) Cleaves II

  5. Department of Astronomy, University of Massachusetts Lederle Graduate Research, 710 North Pleasant Street, Amherst, MA, 01003-9305, USA

    William M. Irvine

  6. GEOTOP & Départment des Sciences de la Terre et de l’Atmosphère, Université du Québec à Montréal, CP 8888, succ. Centre-Ville, Montréal, QC, H3C 3P8, Canada

    Daniele L. Pinti

  7. Astrobiology, CNES/DSP/EU, 2 place Maurice-Quentin, 75039, Paris, France

    Michel Viso

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© 2011 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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“Grasshopper” Illangkoon, H. (2011). Carbohydrate. In: Gargaud, M., et al. Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-11274-4_1748

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