CONSTITUTION OF A WATER SOLUBLE HEMICELLULOSE FROM AMERICAN BEECHWOOD (FAGUS GRANDIFOLIA)

Abstract

Extraction of beechwood chlorite holocellulose with hot water yielded a hemicellulose in 13.4% yield (based on original extractive-free wood) containing D-xylose 72%, D-galactose 11.0%, and uronic acid 13.2%. Purification of the crude hemicellulose by complexing with Fehling's solution yielded a chemically homogeneous fraction containing D-xylose 83% and 4-O-methyl-D-glucuronic acid 15.5%. Hydrolysis of the fully methylated hemicellulose yielded 2,3,4-tri-O-methyl-D-xylose, 2,3-di-O-methyl-D-xylose, 3-O-methyl-D-xylose, and 3-O-methyl-2-O-(2,3,4-tri-O-methyl-D-glucopyranosyluronic acid)-D-xylose in a molar ratio of 2:35:3:5. On the basis of the methylation data, periodate oxidation, reducing power determinations, and weight average molecular weight values a possible structure for the hemicellulose is proposed.