Carbohydrates in Orgo

During our last few weeks in orgo II with Professor Carrico-Moniz, we studied carbohydrates. It was super cool to hear them taught in a somewhat different perspective than how we approached them in biochem this semester. I appreciated that I already knew the various configurations and conformations of the carbohydrates, but also that had the additional knowledge of how these structures affected their functions and behavior. Someone asked why the 1,6 glucose linkages in amylopectin were necessary if amylose already had 1,4 glucose linkages, and it was something that organic chemistry alone could not describe. After taking biochem, I was able to say that the additional 1,6 linkages in amylopectin are able to help store glucose in our cells more efficiently to be used for energy in our bodies. Thanks biochem!