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Give an account of the structure and functions of polysaccharides in living organisms. The commonly occurring polysaccharides starch, glycogen and cellulose are all polymers of glucose. Starch is a mixture of two polymers of alpha-glucose, amylose and amylopectin. Amylose is a linear polymer and amylopectin is a branched polymer. The proportions of each vary from plant to plant, but usually amylose is the minor component at about 10-30% of the starch. Amylose is a glucan (glucose polymer) with 1,4 glycosidic bonds. Amylose takes on a helical shape with each coil having six monomers per turn and it is held together by hydrogen bonds between the groups attached to the carbon atoms. Branches arise in the amylopectin because of the formation of 1,6 bonds at various points along the chain. The branches form at various points along the chain, normally 20 or 30 residues apart, and the chain length can be up to...

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