2. Cellulose: the essentials

Cellulose is present in all higher plants and some animals, and can also be produced by bacteria.

2.1 Structure and polymorphism

Chemically speaking, these are D-glucopyranose units linked by β-1,4 bonds. Adjacent monomer units are arranged so that the glycosidic oxygens point in opposite directions, and the repeating unit (monomer) of the cellulose polymer chain is composed of two β-D-glucopyranose rings rotated relative to each other to form what is called a "cellobiose unit" (figure 1 ).

You do not have access to this resource.

Exclusive to subscribers. 97% yet to be discovered!

Already subscribed? Log in!

The Ultimate Scientific and Technical Reference

A Comprehensive Knowledge Base, with over 1,200 authors and 100 scientific advisors

+ More than 10,000 articles and 1,000 how-to sheets, over 800 new or updated articles every year

From design to prototyping, right through to industrialization, the reference for securing the development of your industrial projects

This article is included in

Functional materials - Bio-based materials

This offer includes:

Knowledge Base

Updated and enriched with articles validated by our scientific committees

Services

A set of exclusive tools to complement the resources

Practical Path

Operational and didactic, to guarantee the acquisition of transversal skills

Doc & Quiz

Interactive articles with quizzes, for constructive reading

Ongoing reading
Cellulose: the essentials