Untitled Document
Websites Arts Movies , Television , Music ...
Business Jobs , Industries , Investing ...
Computers Internet , Software , Hardware ...
Games Video Games , Role playing , Gambling ...
Health Fitness , Medicine , Alternative ...
Home Family , Consumers , Cooking ...
Kids & Teens Arts , School Time , Teen Life ...
News Media , Newspapers , Weather ...
Recreation Travel , Food , Humor ...
Reference Maps , Education , Libraries ...
Science Biology , Psychology , Physics ...
Shopping Autos , Clothing , Gifts ...
Society People , Religion , Issues ...
Sports Baseball , Soccer , Basketball ...
Travel Cruises , Destinations , Reservations ...
Country directories United States , United Kingdom , Europe ...
Translated directories Deutsch , Español , Français ...
Articles Nature Astronomy ,
Biology ,
Chemistry ,
Earth science ,
Ecology ,
Geography ,
Physics
Society Anthropology ,
Archaeology ,
Business ,
Communication ,
Economics ,
Government ,
History ,
Law ,
Linguistics ,
Politics ,
Psychology ,
Public affairs ,
Sociology ,
State
Technology Agriculture ,
Architecture ,
Engineering ,
Internet ,
Transport ,
Vehicles
Abstraction Computer science ,
Logic ,
Mathematics ,
Philosophy ,
Statistics
Culture Arts and crafts ,
Dance ,
Entertainment ,
Films ,
Fine arts ,
Games ,
Hobbies ,
Humor ,
Language ,
Literature ,
Media ,
Music ,
Recreation ,
Religion ,
Sports ,
Television ,
Visual arts and design
Human Education ,
Family ,
Food ,
Health ,
Housing ,
Medicine ,
Personal life
Edit |
Discuss Article
Cellulose Cellulose
(C 6 H 10 O 5 )n
is a "long-chain" polymer polysaccharide carbohydrate , of beta-glucose . It forms the primary structural component of plants ; and, is not digestible by humans .
History and Applications
Cellulose is the common material of plant cell walls and was first noted as such in 1838. It occurs naturally in almost pure form only in cotton fibre and in combination with lignin and any hemicellulose , it is found in all plant material - wood, leaves, stalks etc. Cellulose is the most abundant form of living terrestrial biomass (Crawford, R. L. 1981. Lignin biodegradation and transformation, John Wiley and Sons, New York.) Cellulose, especially cotton linters, is used in the manufacture of nitrocellulose , used historically in smokeless gunpowder .
Cellulose is processed to make cellophane and rayon .
Chemistry
Cellulose monomers (beta-glucose) are linked together through 1,4 glycosidic bonds. Cellulose is a straight chain--no coiling occurs. In microfibrils , the multiple hydroxide groups hydrogen bond with each other, holding the chains firmly together and contributing to their high tensile strength. This strength is important in cell walls, where they are meshed in to a carbohydrate matrix , which helps to keep plants rigid.
Given a cellulose material, the portion that does not dissolve in a 17.5% solution of sodium hydroxide at 20 deg C. is Alpha Cellulose , this is true cellulose; the portion that dissolves and then precipitates upon acidification is Beta Cellulose ; and the proportion that dissolves but does not precipitate is called Gamma Cellulose .
See also
Source | Copyright
Related categories
Webmasters: Add your website here:
