Final answer:
Removing the -H and -OH from glucose and fructose is a key step in dehydration synthesis, allowing these sugars to combine into disaccharides such as sucrose and maltose via a glycosidic linkage.
Step-by-step explanation:
Yes, removing the -H and -OH ends from the molecules of glucose and fructose does allow them to fit together more easily. This is part of a process called dehydration synthesis, which is when a water molecule is removed (H from one monomer and OH from the other) to form a covalent bond between two sugar molecules, producing a disaccharide. In the case of glucose and fructose, the result is the disaccharide sucrose. The removal of H and OH introduces an oxygen bridge between the two sugar molecules, with the oxygen from glucose binding to the carbon in fructose, effectively removing an oxygen and two hydrogens from the new molecule.
For example, in the formation of maltose from glucose, the linkage occurs between the number 1 carbon of one glucose molecule and the number 4 carbon of the second glucose molecule, forming an a-1,4-glycosidic bond and releasing a water molecule. Similarly, when glucose and fructose combine to form sucrose, a water molecule is produced, and a glycosidic linkage is formed between them.