Triose

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Sugar containing three carbon atoms

title: "Triose" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["trioses"] description: "Sugar containing three carbon atoms" topic_path: "general/trioses" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triose" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Sugar containing three carbon atoms ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e6/D-glyceraldehyde-2D-skeletal.svg" caption="aldotriose]] because the [[carbonyl]] group is at the end of the chain"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c3/1,3-dihydroxypropan-2-one_200.svg" caption="ketotriose]] because the carbonyl group is the center of the chain."] ::

A triose is a monosaccharide, or simple sugar, containing three carbon atoms. There are only three possible trioses: the two enantiomers of glyceraldehyde, which are aldoses; and dihydroxyacetone, a ketose which is symmetrical and therefore has no enantiomers.

Trioses are important in photosynthesis and cellular respiration. During glycolysis, fructose-1,6-bisphosphate is broken down into glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate and dihydroxyacetone phosphate. Lactic acid and pyruvic acid are later derived from these molecules.

Importance of triose in animal physiology

  • Trioses serve as metabolic intermediates in various different metabolic pathways such as glycolysis, gluconeogenesis, and the pentose phosphate pathway.

  • Trioses contribute to the synthesis of essential biomolecules including lipids, amino acids, nucleotides, and carbohydrates.

  • Trioses are small carbon molecules and can therefore be easily modified into various molecules.

References

References

  1. "Trioses - Three Carbon Sugars". Oxford University Press.
  2. "Glycolysis in Detail". Ohio State University at Mansfield.

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::

trioses