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 ).

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Cellulose: the essentials