Bookbinding and the Conservation of Books
A Dictionary of Descriptive Terminology

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cellulose

The chief constituent of the cell walls of all plants and of many fibrous products, including paper and cloth. Cellulose is by far the most abundant organic substance found in nature. It is a complex polymeric carbohydrate (C 6 H 10 O 5 ) n, having the same percentage composition as starch, i.e., 44.4% carbon, 6.2% hydrogen, and 49.4% oxygen, and it also yields only glucose on complete hydrolysis by acid. The portion of a cellulosic material that does not dissolve in a 17.5% solution of sodium hydroxide is termed ALPHA CELLULOSE ; the portion that dissolves in an alkaline solution and precipitates upon acidification is known as BETA CELLULOSE ; and the portion that dissolves in an alkaline solution but does not precipitate upon acidification is called GAMMA CELLULOSE . See also: CELLULOSE ACETATE ;CELLULOSE CHAIN ;CELLULOSE FIBERS ;CELLULOSE NITRATE ;COTTON LINTERS ;HEMICELLULOSES ;LIGNIN ;

PAPER .

(72 , 198 )




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