Question

What combines together to form a disaccharide?

Answer 1

Two monosaccharides (or simple sugars e.g. glucose) combine to form a disaccharide.

Explanation:

Prefixes:
Mono - one
Di - two
Tri - three
Poly - many

First of all, we need to know what a disaccharide is.
A saccharide is another term for sugar.

Since the prefix “mono-” means “one”, the word “monosaccharide” has a literal meaning of “one sugar” (single sugar). Monosaccharides (e.g. glucose) are the simplest form of sugar, which means they cannot be broken down any further.

Since the prefix “di-” means “two”, the word “disaccharide” has a literal meaning of “two sugars” (double sugars). When two simple molecules/ monosaccharides are joined together, they form a larger molecule called a disaccharide.

Examples of disaccharides:
(1) maltose = glucose + glucose
(2) sucrose = glucose + fructose
(3) lactose = glucose + galactose