Question

Which of the following is not a polymer?
A) DNA
B) Glucose
C) Starch
D) Cellulose

Answer 1

Hint: A polymer is a substance or material made up of numerous repeating subunits that make up very big molecules, or macromolecules. Both manufactured and natural polymers play vital and pervasive roles in everyday life due to their wide range of characteristics. Polymers include anything from common synthetic plastics like polystyrene to natural biopolymers.

Complete Step By Step Answer:
Polymers include anything from common synthetic plastics like polystyrene to biopolymers like DNA and proteins, which are essential for biological structure and function. Polymers, both natural and manmade, are made by polymerizing a large number of tiny molecules called monomers. In comparison to small molecule compounds, their enormous molecular mass results in unusual physical characteristics such as toughness, high elasticity, viscoelasticity, and a propensity to form amorphous and semicrystalline structures rather than crystals.
Because glucose is a single unit, it is a monomer rather than a polymer. Natural polymers include DNA, cellulose, and starch. The most prevalent natural monomer is glucose, which is connected to the polymers cellulose, starch, and glycogen via glycosidic linkages.
Because it is made up of numerous monomer units, or smaller units of glucose, cellulose is referred to as a polymer. Starch, also known as amylum, is a polymeric carbohydrate made up of several glucose units linked by glycosidic linkages known as polymers. Most green plants synthesize this polysaccharide to store energy.
Hence option b is correct.

Note:
Starch is a sugar polymer. The sugars are linked together by alpha bonds. Cellulose is a sugar polymer in which the sugar molecules are linked by beta bonds that are more difficult to break. Glycogen is a sugar polymer with many branches. Nucleotide also has a phosphate group and a nitrogen base in addition to the five carbon sugars. This is why DNA isn't classified as a carbohydrate polymer.