Polysaccharides

• Properties of polysaccharides


  insoluble

  not sweet in taste

  can either be reducing sugar or non reducing sugars
• What is a non reducing sugar 


  A sugar which doesn't reduce benedict's solution causing no colour change
• What is a bond between two monosaccharides called


  A glycogen bond
• How does a bond between two monosaccharides form


  The hydroxyl groups on the monosaccharides react producing a hydrogen molecule with oxygen bonding the two monosaccharides together
• What effet does a 1,4 bond between alpha glucose have on the structuer of a poly saccharide


  a 1,4 bond produces a helix structure
• what polysaccharide has a helix structure


  amylose
• what is the pros of having a helix structure


  it allows it to be more compact allowing lots of energy to be stored
• what is the purpose of polysaccharides 


  energy storage
• why are polysaccharides use as an energy store and not monosaccharides


  polysaccharides are insoluble so will have no effect on the water potential of a cell
• What is water potential


  the potential for the amount of water which will enter somewhere due to it being more concentrated than the exterior, this causes water to rush in
• Why is water potential a problem to cells


  if a cell has a higher water potential it could cause water to rush in which would cause the cell to burst
• how does a 1,4 bond between beta glucose molecules effect the structure


  it produces a linear molecule
• how does a 1,4 beta bond produce a straight molecule


  the beta glucose has to flip 180 degrees to bond with the other beta glucose which causes it to form a straight line
• how does a 1,6 bond affect the structure of a polysaccharide


  it causes branching in the monosaccharide
• What is the advantage of branching in a monosaccharide


  it produces a higher surface area which allows enzymes to act on much more of the molecule causing a higher rate of energy release
• Which molecule has the most branching

  glycogen
• what two molecules have branching

  amylopectin and glycogen
• what is cellulose used for 


  cell walls
• how does the cellulose cell wall benifit from beta glucose 


  the beta glucose produces a linear molecule

  these can produce hydrogen bonds between the hydroxyl groups and hydrogen

  this causes them to cluster in a linear fashion