ABSTRACT
Cellulose is a linear natural polymer (homopolysaccharide) made up of β-dglucopyranose units which are linked together by (1 → 4)-glycosidic bonds, see
figure 3.36. the chair conformation (equatorial) of the hexagonal ring of the β-dglucopyranose unit is favored energetically, as shown in figure 3.37. the a-d-glucopyranose polymerizes in a helicoid molecule (starch), whereas the β-d-glucopyranose polymerized in a linear molecule (cellulose), see figure 3.38. the molecular weight of cellulose is high. for example, cotton has a degree of polymerization (dP) of approximately 10 000 and that of wood is around 8000 (fengel & wegener, 1984).
