What contains carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen in a ratio of 1:2:1?
magnesium
helium
sodium
carbohydrate
The term carbohydrate comes from the fact that the majority contain carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen in a ratio of 1:2:1, making for an empirical formula of CH 2 O. This is somewhat misleading because the molecules are not actually hydrates of carbon at all. Carbohydrates are monomers and polymers of aldehydes and ketones that have multiple hydroxyl groups attached.