The extent of branching (number of α1→6 glycosidic bonds) in amylopectin can be determined by extensive methylation followed by identification of the hydrolysis products of the methylated polysaccharide, as follows: A sample of amylopectin is exhaustively treated with a methylating agent (methyl iodide) that replaces all the hydrogens of the sugar hydroxyls with methyl groups, converting –OH to –OCH3, an ether functional group. All the glycosidic bonds in the methylated sample are then hydrolyzed in aqueous acid, and the various methylated derivatives are quantitated. What derivatives you would expect of the monosaccharides that were
A. from the non-reducing termini of the amylopectin molecules?
B. from the reducing termini of the amylopectin molecules?