Biological molecules such as carbohydrates and proteins are often polymers and are based on a small number of chemical elements. Monosaccharides are the basic molecular units (monomers) of which carbohydrates are composed. The structure of a-glucose as... and the linking of a-glucose by glycosidic bonds formed by condensation to form maltose and starch.

Carbohydrates are biological molecules (this means they are produced by living things) they contain Carbon, Hydrogen and Oxygen. They have the empirical formula CH20.

Carbohydrates are often polymers made up of monomers; polysaccharides made up of monosaccharides.

Glucose is a monosaccharide, it is a hexose- which means it contains 6 carbons- so its molecular formula is C6H12O6. There are other hexose which will be made up of the same components, but they are different molecules due to their structure, the structure of alpha-glucose is:

Structure of alpha-glucose

Two monosaccharides join together by a condensation reaction, to make a disaccharide; when more are joined it becomes a polysaccharide. In the condensation reaction between two glucose molecules, a glycosidic bond is formed (bond between the two sugars) creating a disaccharide and water:

Products of a condensation reaction between two glucoses

Two glucoses are joined they form the disaccharide maltose. Many glucoses joined together form the polysaccharide starch,