Carbs - Polysaccharides Flashcards
What are polysaccharides known as?
The most complex carbs
What are polysaccharides?
Carbohydrate polymers made up of many monosaccharides
What are true polysaccharides?
They have more than 10 monosaccharides joined together
If the chain has less than 10 monosaccharides what is it called?
Oligosaccharides
How are polysaccharides formed?
By joining together monosaccharides in a series of condensation reactions
How are polysaccharides broken down?
They are broken down in a series of hydrolysis reactions to form monosaccharides
What are the 2 ways polysaccharides can be broken down?
Taking one monosaccharide off at a time
Snapping it in half and half again and so on
How do polysaccharides differ from monosaccharides and disaccharides?
(3)
Not sweet-tasting
Not easily soluble
Not sugars
How can a huge variety of polysaccharides be formed?
2
Changing the type of monosaccharide
Changing how the monosaccharides are boned together
What is the main source of energy in respiration?
a-glucose
How is excess chemical energy stored in cells?
By forming polysaccharides of a-glucose
What is a-glucose polysaccharides well suited for?
Energy storage
What are a-glucose polysaccharides well suited to energy storage?
(4)
They are compact
They are insoluble in water
They are large
They can be easily hydrolysed (broken down)
Why is it important that the a-glucose polysaccharides are compact?
So a lot of energy can be stored in a small space
Why is it important that the a-glucose polysaccharides are insoluble in water?
So they don’t impact the water potential of the cell
