All polysaccharides do not hydrolyze at the same rate and several factors influence the rate of acid hydrolysis of polysaccharides. The Table below shows the hydrolysis rates of several glycosides, and this is followed by a listing of the major factors influencing hydrolysis rates. Beta glycosidic bonds are more stable than alpha, and beta-linked glucosides are the most stable glycosidic bonds. Location of the Glycosidic Bond within the polysaccharide chain and the length of the polysaccharide. The rate is higher at the end of a polysaccharide due to increased flexibility.
Uronic acids have strong glycosidic bonds due to the presence of the carboxyl group.
Consider the softwood glucuronoxylan. This has a xylan backbone with uronic acid and arabinofuranoside side groups. Upon exposure to acid, the arabinofuranoside linkages would cleave quite rapidly followed by the xylan backbone. The most resistant glycosidic bond would be the uronic acid linkage to xylose. Cellulose Acid Hydrolysis.