Disaccharides

Disaccharides (di = two, saccharide = sugar) are pairs of monosaccharides linked together. A dissacharide is formed by a chemical reaction known as condensation. During a condensation reaction, a hydroxyl (OH) group from one monosaccharide and a hydrogen atom (H) from the other combine to create a water molecule (H 2 O). To split a dissacharide in two monosaccharides, a chemical reaction known as hydrolysis is needed. During this reaction a water molecule splits to provide the H and OH needed to complete the resulting monosaccharides. Hydrolysis reactions occur during digestion.