Glycogen random structure

B-chains until they are acted on by R-enzyme, when maltose or malto-triose will be produced from the residual A-chain, and linear dextrins from the B-chains. The amount of maltose or maltotriose liberated on treating the /3-limit dextrin with R-enzyme will be a measure of the number of A-chains in the molecule, and from these data, the ratio of A B chains in the molecule can be calculated.220 Peat concluded that multiple branching is an intrinsic part of the amylopectin structure, as the observed yield of these sugars was greater than expected for a singly-branched structure. It should be noted that glycogen has been shown by similar enzymic methods to possess a truly random structure.221... 

With loose structures of linear molecules the exponent for instance to cellulose nitrate in acetone, precipitated by water, to Polyvinyl acetate in toluene, precipitated by a methanol-water mixture-, and to the methyles-ters of polymethacrylic acid in benzene, precipitated by cyclohexane With compact spherical particles we must expect n-values in the neighbourhood of 2/3, since in this case only the outer surface of the particles is subject to the action of the medium. Examples can be found in some proteins. Finally, if the long-chain molecule shows a pronounced ramification or if the randomly kinked structure is comparatively close-packed, n may assume values between 0.7 and 1. This is shown for instance, by branched polystryrene h by acetyl-starch and by glycogene An accurate check on the value of n, however, is usually impossible. Husemann s experiments with glycogene, for instance, can be equally well described by n = 2/3 as by n — J (Fig. 5). This is due to the fact that the value of P in this method is not unlimited. In practice the upper limit of the molecular weight lies in the neighbourhood of 5.10, the lower limit lies in the further to be noted that the constant b in equation... 

Although the structure of polysaccharides such as dextrane and glycogen was identified to be hyperbranched already in the 1930 s and Flory introduced his theoretical work on random AB polycondensates in the early 1950 s, only since the beginning of the 1990 s a rapidly increasing interest in dendritic and hyperbranched polymers can be noticed. 

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