Disaccharides (also called double sugar) are carbohydrates that are made up of two monosaccharides.<ref>Wile, Dr. Jay L. Exploring Creation With Biology. Apologia Educational Ministries, Inc. 1998</ref> The monosaccharides are linked through a Glycosidic bond. Disaccharides are formed by a dehydration reaction between two monosaccharides. The three major disaccharides are sucrose, lactose, and maltose.<ref>Disaccharide</ref>
See also
Category of Biochemistry Category of Organic Chemistry
- Snippet from Wikipedia: Disaccharide
A disaccharide (also called a double sugar) is a sugar formed when two monosaccharides are joined by glycosidic linkage. Like monosaccharides, disaccharides are white solids that are soluble in water. Common examples are sucrose, lactose, and maltose.
Related to disaccharides are other carbohydrates: monosaccharides, their precursors, and the larger oligosaccharides and polysaccharides). C The joining of monosaccharides into a double sugar happens by a condensation reaction, shown here in the case of two hexoses:
- 2 C6H12O6 → C12H22O11 + H2O
Breaking apart a double sugar into its two monosaccharides is accomplished by hydrolysis with the help of a type of enzyme called a disaccharidase. As building the larger sugar ejects a water molecule, breaking it down consumes a water molecule. These reactions are vital in metabolism. Each disaccharide is broken down with the help of a corresponding disaccharidase (sucrase, lactase, and maltase).