Question

What are the chemical differences and similarities between amylose and cellulose, and cellulose and glycogen. What is a glycosidic bond and how does it differ in these molecules? Why can we process certain carbohydrates and not others? Why can cows extract sugars from cellulose?

Answer all questions thoroughly please.

Answer 1

Chemical differences between amylose and cellulose-

• The main difference is the glycosidic linkage. In amylose, the amylose’s glucose units are linked with alpha(1---->4) glycosidic linkage. However, in cellulose, the units are linked with beta (1---->4) glycosidic links.
• Amylose forms helical structures. whereas cellulose form straight polymer chains.

The similarity between amylose and cellulose is that the units are linked with 1---> 4 linkages and the monomers are glucose units

Chemical differences between cellulose and glycogen -

• Glycogen is made of alpha glucose units while cellulose is made of beta glucose units.
• cellulose is made with beta glucose units linked with beta (1---->4) glycosidic links. whereas glycogen has a branched structure with both alpha (1----->4) units and alpha (1---->6) linkages.

The chemical similarity between cellulose and glycogen-

Cellulose and glycogen has same monomer called glucose

We cannot process some carbohydrates example fibers like cellulose, lectin because the body digestive system lacks the enzymes needed for the digestion of these sugars.

Cows have the enzymes cellulase which can cleave cellulose hence cows extract sugars from cellulose.