Polysaccharides Flashcards
What are polysaccharides made by?
Condensation reaction between many glucose monomers.
Where is starch found?
Found in starch grains inside plant cells e.g inside chloroplasts.
What is the function of starch?
It is an insoluble store of glucose.
What is starch made up of?
Formed from 2 polymers of alpha glucose - amylose and amylopectin.
What reaction makes amylose?
Condensation reaction with a 1,4 glycosidic bond.
Structure of amylose?
An unbranched chain of glucose molecules joined by 1, 4 glycosidic bonds. As a result amylose is coiled into a helix and thus a very compact molecule storing a lot of energy.
What reaction forms amylopectin?
Condensation reaction made from 1-4 and 1-6 glycosidic bonds.
Structure of amylopectin?
Branched.
Difference between the structure of amylose and amylopectin?
Amylopectin is a branched polymer.
Amylose is a straight polymer which spirals up.
How does the structure of starch lead to the function?
Insoluble - doesn’t affect water potential so water isn’t drawn into the cells by osmosis.
Large and insoluble - it doesn’t diffuse out of cells.
Compact - a lot of glucose can be stored in a small space.
What is glycogen made up of?
Alpha glucose.
Where is glycogen found?
In animals inside muscle and liver cells.
What is the function of glycogen?
Insoluble store of glucose.
What reaction forms glycogen?
Many condensation reactions between alpha glucose.
What type of bonds are present in glycogen?
1-6 and 1-4 glycosidic bonds.
