Glucose vs Glycogen: what is the difference?
Glycogen is thousands of glucose units branched together, the form in which the liver and muscles store glucose until the body needs it.
Sources and notes
- The sentence under the titlefrom sourceMoleculeFinder comparison notesThe pair's answer line.
- The two drawingscomputedMoleculeFinder rule (RDKit MCS)Each molecule's own drawing, as its page shows it. The common core, 12 of 45 atoms, is too small to align on.
- Structural similaritycomputedRDKit Morgan/Tanimoto0.50 of 1, a Morgan fingerprint Tanimoto coefficient. It measures shape, not effect.
Side by side
| Glucose | Glycogen | |
|---|---|---|
| Molecular weightCalculated PubChem | 180.16 g/molC6H12O6 | 666.6 g/molC24H42O21 |
| Hydrogen-bond donorsCalculated PubChem | 5 | 14 |
| SweetnessMeasured HSDB via PubChem | 0.74× sugar | Not recorded |
| Against table sugar, which is 1. | ||
| Where each turns upEditorial MoleculeFinder food and product lists |
| Not on our lists |
| FamilyEditorial MoleculeFinder curated | Sugars | Sugars |
| Everyday groupEditorial MoleculeFinder curated | Sweetener | Body |
| Chemical groupsCalculated Found by rule (RDKit) | Alcohols, Ethers | Alcohols, Ethers |
| Oral LD50Measured HSDB via PubChem | 25,800 mg/kgpure glucose, rat, oral | Not recorded |
| A single acute animal measure. It ranks nothing about human safety. | ||
Sources and notes
- Molecular weightcomputedPubChemComputed from the structure; the formula is under each weight.
- Hydrogen-bond donorscomputedPubChemThe hydrogens on nitrogen or oxygen that each molecule can lend to a hydrogen bond, counted from its structure.
- Sweetnessfrom sourceHSDB via PubChem
- Where each turns upfrom sourceMoleculeFinder food and product listsEach amount is an editorial figure from our lists, not a measurement of any one product. Each mark is set by hand on the list, never inferred.
- Familyfrom sourceMoleculeFinder curated
- Everyday groupfrom sourceMoleculeFinder curated
- Chemical groupscomputedFound by rule (RDKit)Each group is found in the structure by a chemical pattern.
- Oral LD50from sourceHSDB via PubChem
- Identifiersfrom sourcePubChemPubChem CID 5793 (Glucose) and 439177 (Glycogen).
In more detail
That is why glycogen's listed formula and weight represent a fragment rather than a fixed molecule. The body keeps glucose in the blood within a narrow range and stores the rest as glycogen in the liver and muscle, unpacking it when the level drops. Branching is the point: a branched chain has many free ends, so many enzymes can strip glucose off at once and release it quickly. Muscle glycogen is only available to that muscle, while liver glycogen is released into the blood for the whole body. Carb-loading before an endurance event is about filling those stores rather than about eating any particular sugar.
Sources and notes
- The paragraphfrom sourceMoleculeFinder comparison notes
Questions
- What is the difference between Glucose and Glycogen?
- Glycogen is thousands of glucose units branched together, the form in which the liver and muscles store glucose until the body needs it.
- Is Glucose bigger than Glycogen?
- Glycogen is the heavier molecule, 666.6 g/mol against 180.16 g/mol for Glucose. Glucose is C6H12O6 and Glycogen is C24H42O21.
Sources and notes
- The answersfrom sourceMoleculeFinderThe first is the pair's answer line; the others are read off the table above.