Basic Information about Cellulose

Structure:

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• Cellulose is a polymer, or more specifically a polysaccharide, which is made of more than 3,000 glucose units.  

• A polymer is simply a larger molecule consisting of many smaller, repeated subunits--in this case glucose is the subunit.  This explains why cellulose’s structure is just repeated units of C6H12O6, or glucose.  Glucose is a substance which is extremely important in cellular respiration and photosynthesis: CO2(g) + H2O(l) + light --- C6H12O6(s) + O2(g)  (the equation for photosynthesis).  

• Because all of the elements in cellulose are non-metals, cellulose is covalently bonded together.     

• Because of its structure, (cellulose is built out of a sugar monomer), cellulose is called a polysaccharide, and cannot be digested by humans.  Animals, like cows, sheep and horses, and other herbivorous animals possess the enzymes needed to process this material by speeding up the hydrolysis of cellulose, and making it into glucose.  Humans lack these enzymes.    

How cellulose is made:

• Polysaccharides, like cellulose are produced by eliminating the water contained between monosaccharide molecules.  In this case, glucose is the monosaccharide molecule.  Companies like the Corporation of Cotton, and other fabric/textile manufacturers use this process, and other more extensive processes to refine cellulose.  

Natural abundance/uses:

• Cellulose accounts for more than half of all living matter, and is the basic structural component of plant cell walls.  Cellulose makes up ninety-percent of cottons and fifty-percent of woods, and is the most abundant natural, organic compound in the world.

Chemical properties:

• Cellulose is so beneficial to humans because it is so abundant, making it very cheap.  This tough and transformable compound has a very wide color range, being both translucent and opaque.  Because cellulose is so stable, it can resist grease and moisture very well.  Some limitations are that all kinds of cellulose are flammable, and are easily eroded by strong acids and alkalis.  

•  Melting point:  Undefined 
• Boiling point:  Undefined 
• Decomposition temperature:  260-70 degrees C
• Density in Natural State:  Between 1.27-1.60g/ml
• Formula: C6H10O5
• Molar Mass: 162.0g
• 44.4% of cellulose is carbon; 6.2% of cellulose is hydrogen; 49.4% of cellulose is oxygen.

Many of the kinds of vegetation that have large percentages of cellulose are also singularly or when combined very beneficial to humans.  Here are the percentages of common vegetation: 

~Richard Helm

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