Disaccharide

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/disaccharide

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the bond type?Formed by a glycosidic linkage between two monosaccharides
2. What is the synthesis reaction?Dehydration (condensation) reaction, releasing one molecule of water
3. How do disaccharides break down in our bodies?Enzymes called disaccharidases split them into single sugars. For example, sucrase turns sucrose into glucose and fructose. This helps us absorb nutrients.
4. Why is lactose important for babies?Lactose is the main sugar in milk and gives babies the energy they need. Babies have an enzyme called lactase that breaks lactose into glucose and galactose.

Anomeric Carbon: The carbon atom in a monosaccharide that was originally the carbonyl carbon, involved in forming the glycosidic bond.
Disaccharidase: An enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of a disaccharide into its constituent monosaccharides.
Glycosidic Bond: The covalent bond that links monosaccharide units together in disaccharides and polysaccharides.