Q.

Polysaccharides may be very large molecules. Starch, glycogen, cellulose, and chitin are examples of polysaccharides. Starch is the stored form of sugars in plants and is made up of amylose and amylopectin (both polymers of glucose). Amylose is soluble in water and can be hydrolysed into glucose units breaking glycocidic bonds, by the enzymes α- amylase and β-amylase. It is straight chain polymer. Amylopectin is a branched chain polymer of several D-glucose molecules. 80% of amylopectin is present in starch. Plants are able to synthesize glucose, and the excess glucose is stored as starch in different plant parts, including roots and seeds. The starch that is consumed by animals is broken down into smaller molecules, such as glucose. The cells can then absorb the glucose. Glycogen is the storage form of glucose in humans and other vertebrates, and is made up of monomers of glucose. It is structurally quite similar to amylopectin. Glycogen is the animal equivalent of starch. It is stored in liver and skeletal muscles. Cellulose is one of the most abundant natural biopolymers. The cell walls of plants are mostly made of cellulose, which provides structural support to the cell. Wood and paper are mostly cellulosic in nature. Like amylose, cellulose is a linear polymer of glucose. Cellulose is made up of glucose monomers that are linked by bonds between particular carbon atoms in the glucose molecule. Every other glucose monomer in cellulose is flipped over and packed tightly as extended long chains. This gives cellulose its rigidity and high tensile strength—which is so important to plant cells. Cellulose passing through our digestive system is called dietary fiber.

Answer the following questions:
(a) What is obtained on complete hydrolysis of cellulose?
(b) Which biopolymer breaks down to release glucose, whenever glucose levels drop in our body?
(c) Give any two differences between amylose and amylopectin.
OR
Why cellulose is rigid and has high tensile strength?

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Detailed Solution

(a) Glycogen breaks down to release glucose, whenever glucose levels drop in our body.
(b) Amylose is a straight chain polymer while amylopectin is branched.
Amylose is water soluble while amylopectin is water insoluble.
OR
Every other glucose monomer in cellulose is flipped over and packed tightly as extended long chains. This gives cellulose its rigidity and high tensile strength.

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