Carbohydrates chemical characteristics

Sections Carbohydrates undergo chemical reactions characteristic of aldehydes and... 

Sections Carbohydrates undergo chemical reactions characteristic of aldehydes and 25.17-25.24 ketones, alcohols, diols, and other classes of compounds, depending on their structure. A review of the reactions described in this chapter is presented in Table 25.2. Although some of the reactions have synthetic value, many of them are used in analysis and structure deter-mination. 

All of these functions are made possible by the characteristic chemical features of carbohydrates (1) the existence of at least one and often two or more asymmetric centers, (2) the ability to exist either in linear or ring structures, (3) the capacity to form polymeric structures via glyeosidie bonds, and (4) the potential to form multiple hydrogen bonds with water or other molecules in their environment. 

J. 0. Duus, C. H. Gottfredsen, and K. Bock, Carbohydrate structural determination by NMR spectroscopy modem methods and limitations, Chem. Rev., (2000) 4589-4614. This review has extensive tabulations of reviews related to NMR of carbohydrates, characteristic NMR features, and chemical shift collections in addition to 355 references. 

Recent work by Calvin and co-workers and by Horecker et al. have demonstrated the importance of sedoheptulose in the photosynthetic cycle of the carbohydrates as being a transitory intermediate in the regeneration of D-erythropentulose, the monosaccharide involved in the fixation of carbon dioxide . This sugar also plays a part in animal carbohydrate metabolism. Its most characteristic chemical property is its ready conversion into sedoheptulosan.(2,7-anhydro-j8-D-altroheptulopyranose (LVII). 

The choice of a suitable immobilization method for a given enzyme and appHcation is based on a number of considerations including previous experience, new experiments, enzyme cost and productivity, process demands, chemical and physical stabiHty of the support, approval and safety issues regarding support, and chemicals used. Enzyme characteristics that greatly influence the approach include intra- or extraceUular location size surface properties, eg, charge/pl, lysine content, polarity, and carbohydrate and active site, eg, amino acids or cofactors. The size, charge, and polarity of the substrate should also be considered. 

Various chemical species influence the rates of hydrolysis of penicillins, e.g. metal ions (Cu >Zn >Ni Co ) (80JCS(P2)1725), carbohydrates (78MI51101), certain amine-containing catechol derivatives (69JPS1102) and /3-cyclodextrin (71JA767). Some of these even show some of the characteristics of enzyme-catalyzed hydrolyses. 

Characteristics due to chemical functionalities (e.g., carboxyl groups) of sample components that control solubility of the sample in aqueous media, viscosity of carbohydrate/polysaccharide solutions, and stability of obtained solutions. 

In both their industrial and biological functions, the 3-dimensional characteristics of carbohydrates are important. Many of these stereochemical features are described for carbohydrates in the classic text by Stoddart (2). The inqportance of stereochemistry is underscored by the unique chemical and physical properties of the individual sugars, many of which are configurational isomers. Stereochemistry also plays a role in detentlining the properties of polysaccharides. Molecular shape is as significant for the properties of an industrially modified starch as it is for the recognition of one particular blood type and the rejection of others. 

Fig. 1 also may be used to note some general characteristics of C spectra of carbohydrate polymers ( -11) Chemical shifts of anomeric carbons (C-l), in the region of 100-110 p.p.m., are typically well separated from other signals. As compared with C-l of the related monosaccharides (12-15)j the anomeric carbon is strongly deshielded (commonly by 7-10 p.p.m.) through glycoside formation (9)> i.e., by the change from 0-H to an 0-C bond. 

Singh, J., McCarthy, O. J., Singh, Ft. (2006). Physico-chemical and morphological characteristics ofNewZealand Taewa (Maori potato) starches. Carbohydr. Polym., 64, 569-581. 

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