On a chemical level, what differentiates carbohydrates, protein, and fat?

Question

On a chemical level, what differentiates carbohydrates, protein, and fat?

In: Chemistry

Answer 1

On a simple level, proteins contain nitrogen, carbohydrates and fats don’t. Carbohydrates and fats are somwhat alike in terms of chemical elements (carbon, hydrogen, oxygen), but their structure is different. Carbohydrates are generally smaller molecules formed from carbon, hydrogen and an -OH (alcohol) group(s). Fats are generally larger molecules consisting of a alcohol backbone (glycerol) with multiple fatty acids (long chains of carboh, hydrogen and oxygen with a -COOH (carboxylic acid group)) attached to it.