Illustrated Glossary of Organic Chemistry

Polysaccharide: A carbohydrate consisting of more than ten monosaccharides. The most common polysaccharides are cellulose, amylose, and amylopectin.

Common Polysaccharides

Cellulose is a linear β-D-glucopyranose biopolymer. There are ~ 5,000-10,000 glucopyranose molecules per cellulose molecule.


Amylose is a linear α-D-glucopyranose biopolymer and a component of starch. There are ~1,000-6,000 glucopyranose molecules per amylose molecule.


Amylopectin is a branched α-D-glucopyranose biopolymer and a component of starch. There are ~10⁶ glucopyranose molecules per amylopectin molecule.