What is the Nature of Monosaccharides?
Monosaccharides are colourless, crystalline substances which are soluble in water but insoluble in non polar solvents. Monosaccharides can be further classified in trioses, tetroses, pentoses, hexoses and heptoses depending on the number of carbon atoms or as aldoses or ketoses depending on whether they have the aldehyde (H-C= O) or the ketonic (C= O) group. Carbohydrates can also be classified based on the number of carbon atoms present.