What's the difference between alpha and beta glucose?

"Glucose, C₆H₁₂O₆ a monosaccharide (or simple sugar), is the most important carbohydrate in biology. Cell use it as a source of energy and is a metabolic intermediate. In addition glucose is one of the main products of photosynthesis and starts cellular respiration in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes.

Two isomers of the aldohexose sugars are known as glucose,of which only one (D-glucose) is biologically active.The mirror-image of the D-glucose , L-glucose, cannot be used by cells.

The D-glucose can exit in two forms alpha-D-glucose and beta-D-glucose. They differ only in the direction that -H and -OH groups point on carbon 1 (See the jmol images below). When alpha-glucose molecules are joined chemically to form a polymer starch is formed, when beta-glucose molecules are joined to form a polymer cellulose is formed.

beta_D_glucose

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