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Polysaccharide

Polysaccharides are complex carbohydrates made up of multiple monosaccharides combined with other structures. Polysaccharides are sometimes called glycans because the monosaccharides are joined together with glycosidic linkages. These molecules tend to be very large and are often branched; most are insoluble in water and amorphous.

Unlike other saccharides, polysaccharides tend to not have a sweet taste. Examples of polysaccharides include high-energy storage polysaccharides like starch and glycogen, as well as saccharides that make up structure in living things like cellulose and chitin.

Homopolysaccharides have monosaccharides in its makeup that are all the same; heteropolysaccharides have different types of monosaccharides. All polysaccharides have a general formula C_n(H₂O)_n-1 in which n is generally a number between 200 and 2500.

The three most common types of polysaccharides are starch, glycogen, and cellulose. Starch is a glucose polymer and insoluble in water; they must be digested with amylases. Glycogen is the storage form of glucose in animals, where starch is the same in plants. Cellulose forms most structural components in plants, and is indigestible by humans. There are also acidic polysaccharides, and polysaccharides that make up the capsule of a bacterium; one example is xanthan gum.

Web Resources On Polysaccharide

Introduction to Polysaccharide Structure
Symbols for Specifying the Conformation of Polysaccharide Chains

Book Resources On Polysaccharide

The Chemistry of the Monosaccharides and of the Polysaccharides by Hans Pringshein
Chemistry Of Polysaccharides by Gennady E. Zaikov (Ed)

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