Final answer:
The ring structures of glucose differ in the location of the hydroxyl group.
Therefore, the correct answer is: option "their ring structures differ in the location of a hydroxyl group."
Step-by-step explanation:
Alpha (α) and beta (β) forms of glucose differ in the spatial arrangement of the hydroxyl group (OH) at the anomeric carbon (carbon 1) when forming a ring structure.
In the α-glucose form, the hydroxyl group is below the plane of the sugar at carbon 1, while in the β-glucose form, the hydroxyl group is above the plane at the same carbon.
This arrangement profoundly affects how these sugars engage in chemical reactions and form structures such as glycosidic linkages.
For instance, α-glucose can take on 1,4- and 1,6-glycosidic linkages, but β-glucose typically participates only in 1,4 linkages, contributing to the diverse functions and properties of polysaccharides made from these monosaccharides.