How do the structures of proteins differ from the structures of carbohydrates?

Question

Isabella Anderson · Accepted Answer

Both are considered macromolecules. I'll explain below

Similar to a massive Lego structure, proteins are composed of individual pieces that are pieced together to form a larger "thing" such as a Death Star, House, etc. The individual pieces are called monomers, and the larger structure is called the polymer. The monomers are amino acids, and they are pieced together to form the polymer known as a protein. The linkage that they use is called an amide bond, which is referred to as a peptide bond in biology. Carbohydrates are composed of entirely different compounds, typically aldehydes or ketones, and can be either singular monomers or polymer units. They are linked together by various chemical bonding mechanisms, such as acetal or ketal linkages for polymers and hemiacetal or hemiketal linkages for monomers. While carbohydrates can be singular, proteins can only function as large, three-dimensional structures. Both can be large, three-dimensional structures.

Daniel Allen · Answer

undefined Carbohydrates are made up of sugar molecules arranged in chains or rings, whereas proteins are made up of amino acids forming polypeptide chains.