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9.7 Biochemistry: 2. Carbohydrates

Glucose, because it is a smaller molecule with five OH groups available for hydrogen bonding and is easily surrounded by water molecules. Each glucose unit in a glycogen molecule has only two or three OH groups available for hydrogen bonding and fewer water molecules can fit around each glucose unit of the much large glycogen molecule.
Most pairs of glucose molecules join end to end through C1 and C4 by 1,4 glycosidic links to form long chains. If the OH at the uncluttered C1 end of a glucose molecule joins to a C6 OH then a 1,6 glycosidic link establishes a branch.
When two glucose units join through two OH groups a water molecule is eliminated. Thus the number of water molecules y in glycogen, formed by joining of many glucose units, is less than the number of carbons x.