Glycosidic Bond
The covalent linkage joining a sugar unit to another molecule through an oxygen bridge.
Formula / equation
C–O–C
Unit
Dimensionless
In depth
It forms by condensation between the anomeric hydroxyl of one sugar and a hydroxyl of another, releasing water. Whether the linkage is alpha or beta, and which carbons it joins, determines both the three-dimensional shape of the polymer and which enzymes can cleave it.
Examples in the real world
The alpha-1,4 bonds of starch, digestible by amylase, against the beta-1,4 bonds of cellulose, which are not.