Biological Chemistry - Berezov, T. T., Korovkin, B. F. 1998

Chemistry of Carbohydrates

The term "CARBOHYDRATES" was first proposed by Professor C. G. Schmidt of the University of Dorpat (now Tartu) in 1844. At the time, it was assumed that all carbohydrates shared the general formula C_m(H₂O)_n, i.e., carbon + Water, hence the name "carbohydrates." For example, glucose and fructose have the formula C(H₂O)₆, cane sugar (sucrose) C₁₂(H₂O)₁₁, starch [C₆(H₂O)₅]n, and so on. Later on, it turned out that A number of compounds whose properties classify them as carbohydrates contain hydrogen and oxygen in somewhat different proportions than indicated by the general formula (for instance, deoxyribose C₅H₁₀O₄). In 1927, the International Commission for the Reform of Chemical Nomenclature proposed replacing the term "carbohydrates" with "glycides"; however, the traditional name "carbohydrates" has stuck and remains universally recognized.

Carbohydrate Chemistry holds a prominent place in The history of organic chemistry. Cane sugar can be considered the first organic compound isolated in a chemically pure form. The synthesis of carbohydrates from formaldehyde (outside of a living Organism) achieved by A. M. Butlerov in 1861 was the first successful synthesis of a representative from one of the three main classes of substances (Proteins, Lipids, carbohydrates) that make up living organisms. The Chemical Structure of the simplest carbohydrates was elucidated in the late 19th century through the groundbreaking research of E. Fischer. Significant contributions to The Study of carbohydrates were also made by prominent scientists such as A. A. Kolli, P. P. Shorygin, N. K. Kochetkov, and others. In the 1920s, the work of the British researcher W. Haworth laid the foundations for the structural chemistry of Polysaccharides. Since the second half of the 20th century, carbohydrate chemistry and biochemistry have experienced rapid development driven by their vital biological significance.