Monosaccharides are simple carbohydrates called sugars. They have a general formula of Cn(H2O)n. They are sweet-tasting substances which are soluble in water. Each molecule may have more than one isomer.Isomers are molecules with the same molecular formula but different structural or spatial arrangements of their molecules.Monosaccharides with three carbon atoms are called triose sugars. An example is glyceraldehyde, an intermediate compound in respiration and photosynthesis.
Monosaccharides with five carbon atoms are called pentose sugars. Examples are ribose and deoxyribose found in RNA and DNA.
Monosaccharides with six carbon atoms are called hexose sugars. Examples are glucose, fructose and galactose.