Two monosaccharides join to form a disaccharide via what type of bond?

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Multiple Choice

Two monosaccharides join to form a disaccharide via what type of bond?

The connection between two monosaccharides to form a disaccharide is a glycosidic bond. This bond forms by a dehydration (condensation) reaction between the anomeric carbon of one sugar and a hydroxyl group on the other sugar, releasing a molecule of water. The linkage can be alpha or beta depending on the configuration at the anomeric carbon, and this orientation affects how the sugar is digested by enzymes (for example, maltose has an α-1,4 linkage, lactose has a β-1,4 linkage, and sucrose has a glucose–fructose linkage). The other terms don’t describe this sugar–sugar connection: phosphodiester bonds join nucleotides in DNA/RNA, peptide bonds link amino acids in proteins, and there isn’t a standard “glycolic bond” for linking sugars.

The connection between two monosaccharides to form a disaccharide is a glycosidic bond. This bond forms by a dehydration (condensation) reaction between the anomeric carbon of one sugar and a hydroxyl group on the other sugar, releasing a molecule of water. The linkage can be alpha or beta depending on the configuration at the anomeric carbon, and this orientation affects how the sugar is digested by enzymes (for example, maltose has an α-1,4 linkage, lactose has a β-1,4 linkage, and sucrose has a glucose–fructose linkage). The other terms don’t describe this sugar–sugar connection: phosphodiester bonds join nucleotides in DNA/RNA, peptide bonds link amino acids in proteins, and there isn’t a standard “glycolic bond” for linking sugars.

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