| Classification | Formula | Examples | Some Properties |
|---|
| Monosaccharides | C6H12O6 | Glucose | Crystalline, sweet, very soluble, readily absorbed |
| Pentoses | C5H10O5 or C5H10O4 | Ribose | Part of nucleic acid, RNA |
| | Deoxyribose | Part of nucleic acid, DNA |
| Disaccharides | (C6H10O5)2·H2O or C12H22O11 hydrolyzed to simple sugars | Sucrose Lactose Maltose | Crystalline, sweet, soluble, digestible. Present in milk |
| Polysaccharides | (C6H10O5)n composed of many molecules of simple sugars. (Since polysaccharides can be composed of various numbers of monosaccharides and disaccharides, n refers to an unknown number of these groups.) | Starch Dextrin Cellulose Glycogen | Amorphous, little or no flavor, less soluble. Vary in solubility and digestibility. |