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What are the organic chemical groups that characterize carbohydrates? How are carbohydrates classified according to the presence of those groups?

Carbohydrates are also known as sugars (starches, cellulose and other substances are carbohydrates too).

Carbohydrates are polyhydroxylated aldehydes or polyhydroxylated ketones (polyalcohol aldehydes or polyalcohol ketones).

Polyhydroxylated aldehydes are called aldoses and polyhydroxylated ketones are called ketoses.

What is the molecular formula of glucose? How can its structural formula be described?

The molecular formula of glucose is C6H12O6.

Structurally glucose is a hexagonal ring formed by one atom of oxygen and five atoms of carbon; a hydroxyl radical and a hydrogen atom bind in each carbon of the ring, except for one of the carbons bound to the oxygen of the ring; this carbon binds to a CH2OH radical. Spatial sides of hydroxyl bonds are alternated.

What are monosaccharides, oligosaccharides and polysaccharides?

Monosaccharides are simple molecules of carbohydrates that cannot be broken into smaller molecules of other carbohydrates. Oligosaccharides are carbohydrates made by union of a maximum of 10 monosaccharides. Polysaccharides are polymers of monosaccharides made of more than 10 units of such monomers. The most important polysaccharides are cellulose, starch, glycogen and chitin.