Describe the similarities and differences of the following polysaccharides:

(a) amylose and amylopectin

Question

Describe the similarities and differences of the following polysaccharides:

(a) amylose and amylopectin

Accepted Answer

All right. Hello everyone. So this question is asking us which of the following statements about the polysaccharides, amylase and Amy are correct, select all that apply. So here we're given four different statements which we'll describe later on in this video and also four different answer choices labeled A through D proposing which of these statements are correct. Now, before we talk about these statements individually, let's just briefly go over what we know about the differences between Am Melos and Amy. Pet. Now recall that both amylase and Amy Loin are major components of starch. Now, the difference between them is that a Milos has more of a structural role. In other words, it helps to maintain the structural integrity of the starch. On the other hand, Amy Pin is more involved in the storage of energy and you can actually note these differences when comparing their structures. So the reason I say that is because Am Melos for example, is a mostly linear polysaccharide and because it's a mostly linear polysaccharide, it's mainly composed of our glucose molecules held together by alpha 14 glyco cytic linkages. Now, on the other hand, the structure of Amycin is characteristically branched. So in addition to having these alpha 14 glyco cytic bonds that hold the more or hold the basic linear structure together, we also have alpha 16 glyco cytic linkages that form the branches in the first place. So with this context in mind, let's go ahead and start by reading out statement one which says that amylase is a linear polysaccharide composed of alpha 14 glyco bonds. This is true, right? Because as mentioned before, it's these alpha 14 glyco cytic bonds that give Amys as characteristic linear structure statement two says that Amy Loin is a branched polysaccharide with alpha 16 glyco cytic bonds at the branch points which is also true. Now statement three says that Amlo pin has a higher molecular weight and is more soluble in water than envelopes. This is actually not true or at least part of it is not true, which means that the whole statement is incorrect because while it is true that Amy Loin has higher molecular weight compared to Amys. Because of that branching that we talked about earlier, the branching actually makes Amlo pectin less soluble in water relative to am melos. And this is because the fact that there's such extensive branching reduces its capacity to interact with water molecules, meaning that it's going to mix less or does not mix as well as it could last but not least statement four says that Alos has a helical structure which contributes to its ability to form gels. This is true, right? And even though it wasn't mentioned before, am melos can adopt a helical structure because of the way its 14. Now, this structure is especially important for the ability of antelopes to trap water molecules and form a gel, especially when the starch is heated. So there you have it of the four statements given numbers 12 and four are correct, which means that option B is our correct answer. And so with that being said, thank you so very much for watching and I hope you found this helpful.

Describe the similarities and differences of the following polysaccharides:

(a) amylose and amylopectin

Verified Solution

Key Concepts

Polysaccharides

Amylose

Amylopectin

Describe the similarities and differences of the following polysaccharides:(a) amylose and amylopectin

Verified Solution

Key Concepts

Polysaccharides

Amylose

Amylopectin

Describe the similarities and differences of the following polysaccharides:

(a) amylose and amylopectin