What is a monosaccharide?

Monosaccharide is a simple sugar.

Monosaccharide is a simple sugar which contains a simple polyhydroxy aldehyde or ketone. Their general formula is Cn(H2O)n. Based on the number of carbon atoms, they are classified as trioses (3C), tetroses (4C), pentoses (5C), hexoses (6C) and heptoses (7C). The most common monosaccharide is D-Glucose. Cyclic structures are found monosaccharides containing more than 4-carbon atoms.