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Alpha-glucose units are fundamental building blocks in the world of carbohydrates. They represent a specific cyclic form of the sugar glucose, where the hydroxyl group on the anomeric carbon (the carbon atom derived from the carbonyl group of the open-chain form) is in the alpha position. This alpha configuration is defined by the relative orientation of this hydroxyl group and the CH2OH group attached to the adjacent carbon atom. Specifically, in the Haworth projection, they are on opposite sides of the ring.

These alpha-glucose units link together to form important polysaccharides. The most well-known is starch, the primary energy storage molecule in plants. Starch is composed of two types of polymers: amylose, which is a linear chain of alpha-glucose units linked by alpha(1→4) glycosidic bonds, and amylopectin, which is a branched structure also containing alpha(1→4) linkages along the chains and alpha(1→6) linkages at the branch points. Another significant polysaccharide formed from alpha-glucose units is glycogen, the primary energy storage molecule in animals, which has a similar branched structure to amylopectin. The specific linkages between these alpha-glucose units dictate the properties and functions of these complex carbohydrates.