Question:
What is the basic structural difference between starch and cellulose?
Solution:
Starch consists of two components − amylose and amylopectin. Amylose is a long linear chain of ∝−D−(+)−glucose units joined by C1−C4 glycosidic linkage (∝-link).
Amylopectin is a branched-chain polymer of ∝-D-glucose units, in which the chain is formed by C1−C4 glycosidic linkage and the branching occurs by C1−C6 glycosidic linkage.
On the other hand, cellulose is a straight-chain polysaccharide of β-D-glucose units joined by C1−C4 glycosidic linkage (β-link).
