Carbohydrates - polysaccharides Flashcards
What is a polysaccharide and name three examples.
Many monosaccharides joined - Starch, glycogen and cellulose.
Describe the structure of starch.
Starch is a mix of amylose and amylopectin,
Amylose is a long, unbranched chain of alpha-glucose. It has a coiled structure making it very compact.
Amylopectin is a long branched chain of alpha-glucose molecules, side branches caused by 1, 6, glycosidic bonds
What is the function of starch?
Starch is the main energy store in plants.
How is the structure of starch linked to its function?
Compact - fit lots in a cell.
Branches in amylopectin - allow easy access to enzymes to allow quick hydrolysis of glycosidic bonds to release energy.
Insoluble in water - does not affect water potential, meaning it does not cause water to enter cells by osmosis (would make cells swell) making it good for storage.
Describe the biochemical test for starch.
Add iodine - blue/black= starch present
