Is a monosaccharide a lipid,a nucleic acid, or a protein?
A monosaccharide is neither a lipid, nor a nucleic acid, nor a protein. It is a type of carbohydrate. To determine this, you can break down the word "monosaccharide" into its parts: "mono-" meaning one, and "saccharide" referring to a sugar molecule.
To classify a monosaccharide, you can apply some basic knowledge of organic compounds. Lipids are characterized by their insolubility in water and their function as a long-term energy storage molecule. Nucleic acids, on the other hand, are responsible for carrying genetic information and protein synthesis. Proteins are large biomolecules made up of amino acids with diverse functions, like enzymes or structural components.
Since monosaccharides are simple sugars, they are not lipids or nucleic acids. They have the general formula (CH2O)n, where "n" represents the number of carbon atoms. Monosaccharides are the building blocks of more complex carbohydrates like disaccharides and polysaccharides, including glucose, fructose, and galactose.
Therefore, a monosaccharide falls under the carbohydrate category rather than being a lipid, nucleic acid, or protein.