A monosaccharide with three carbon atoms is called a __________.

### Why this is right A triose is a monosaccharide containing three carbon atoms. Glyceraldehyde and dihydroxyacetone are examples. ### The concept Carbohydrates are often named by carbon count: trioses have three carbons, tetroses four, pentoses five, and hexoses six. The number of carbons is separate from whether the sugar is an aldose or ketose. ### Terms - **Monosaccharide**: a single sugar unit that cannot be hydrolyzed into simpler carbohydrates. - **Aldose**: a sugar with an aldehyde carbonyl group. ### Remember The prefix indicates the carbon count: tri means three.