Sugars

Part of the Food Chemistry and the Lab section of Coddy's Chemistry journey. Lesson 1 of 27.

Carbohydrates are the body's main fuel. They hold only C, H and O.

The smallest are the sugars: glucose, C₆H₁₂O₆, travels in your blood to every cell.

The open-chain structure of glucose: a chain of six carbons, an aldehyde group at one end and an OH group on each of the other five carbons

Glucose, C₆H₁₂O₆, drawn as an open chain

Table sugar is sucrose, C₁₂H₂₂O₁₁: a glucose unit and a fructose unit joined. Most carbohydrates have twice as many H atoms as O atoms.

Challenge

Glucose is the sugar your blood carries to every cell. Count the atoms of each element in one molecule of glucose.

Try it yourself

FormulaCount the atoms in C₆H₁₂O₆

Test yourself

This lesson includes a short quiz. Start the lesson to answer it and track your progress.

All lessons in Food Chemistry and the Lab

1Carbohydrates

4Food Energy and Additives

7Practice Problems

2Fats and Oils

5Laboratory Skills

3Proteins

6Experiments