What atoms are found in carbohydrates?

1 Answer
Apr 10, 2014

The term "carbohydrate" tells us what they are made of - carbon, hydrogen and oxygen.

The carbon is "hydrated" - or joined with water. This means that there is a very special ratio of 2 hydrogens to every 1 oxygen within a carbohydrate. For example, the formula for sucrose is #C_12H_22O_11#.

The general formula for a carbohydrate is #C_m(H_2O)_n#, where m and n may be different.