11 - Conformation and Behavior of Polysaccharides in Solution

Abstract

This chapter discusses the conformation and behavior of polysaccharides in solution. Polysaccharides are the principal macromolecular constituents of plants. The maltose energy surface represents the starting point for an analysis of the solution behavior of the 1–4 linked α-D-glucan, amylase. The conformational energy diagram for maltose possesses two features of overriding importance for the character of the amylosic chain in strongly solvating. The first, common to all dimeric polysaccharide segments except those with a 1–6 linkage is the limited size of the accessible domain of conformation space. Steric interactions restrict severely the range of conformations accessible to a representative polysaccharide skeletal segment. The location in conformation space of the favored maltose conformations clearly leads to the recognition that the amylosic random coil will be closely coiling and rather compact in comparison with the more highly extended coil. The second dominant feature of the amylose disaccharide map involves the geometric characteristics of the preferred maltose conformations.