Question

Know the difference between alpha and beta glucose. You don't need to know the difference in structures of alpha versus Beta, but you need to know how they form different glycosidic bonds.

1. What is a glycosidic bonds?

2. What is the difference between alpha and beta glucose?

3. What are alpha and beta linkages tend to be used for?

4. What are the three Glycosidic bonds we talk about in class?

5. What kind of linkage does Glycogen, Starch, and Cellulose, chitin and peptidoglycan have?

Answer 1

Glycosidic bonds connect carbohydrates; alpha glucose forms helical starch and glycogen, while beta glucose builds rigid cellulose and chitin. Alpha linkages are digestible, beta linkages are not.

Step-by-step explanation:

Differences Between Alpha and Beta Glucose

Glycosidic bonds are covalent linkages that join a carbohydrate (sugar) molecule to another group, which can be another carbohydrate.

The difference between alpha and beta glucose lies in the position of the -OH group on the first carbon; in alpha glucose, the -OH is below the plane of the ring, and in beta glucose, it's above. This leads to differences in the formation of alpha and beta glycosidic linkages.

Alpha linkages are found in storage polysaccharides like glycogen and starch, leading to a helical structure due to 1,4 and 1,6 glycosidic bonds. Beta linkages create straight chains that result in rigid structures, such as cellulose, which cannot be digested by humans due to the presence of beta 1,4 glycosidic linkages.

Modified beta-glucose forms chitin, found in fungal cell walls and arthropod exoskeletons, while a derivative of beta-glucose forms the structural polysaccharide peptidoglycan in bacterial cell walls.

In summary, alpha glycosidic bonds provide energy due to their digestible structure in starch and glycogen, while beta glycosidic bonds contribute to structural support in cellulose and chitin, which are not readily digestible by humans.