What is Monosaccharide?
[[Image:Alpha-D-Fructofuranose.svg|thumb|right|150px|Fructose, a monosaccharide, as a Haworth projection.]] '''Monosaccharides''' are the simplest form of [[carbohydrate]]s. They consist of one [[sugar]] and are usually colorless, [[water]]-soluble, [[crystal]]line [[solid]]s. Some monosaccharides have a [[Sweet (taste)|sweet]] [[taste]]. Examples of monosaccharides include [[glucose]] (dextrose), [[fructose]], [[galactose]], and [[ribose]]. Monosaccharides are the building blocks of [[disaccharide]]s like [[sucrose]] (common sugar) and [[polysaccharide]]s (such as [[cellulose]] and [[starch]]). Further, each carbon atom that supports a [[hydroxyl]] group (except for the first and last) is [[chirality (chemistry)|chiral]], giving rise to a number of [[isomer]]ic forms all with the same [[chemical formula]]. For instance, [[galactose]] and glucose are both [[aldohexose]]s, but they have different chemical and physical properties. [[Category:Monosaccharides| ]]