Structure in “Amorphous Regions”, Accessible Segments of Fibrils, of the Cotton Fiber

Abstract

The extent of hydrogen bonding of O(3)H and O(6)H in “amorphous” regions, more specifically in accessible segments of fibrils, of the cotton fiber varied from near perfection to almost complete disorder in samples under examination. Perfection of hydrogen bonding in various samples and segments of cotton fibers decreased with decreasing crystallinity of the cellulose within the fibrils. For the most part, extents of O(3)H hydrogen bonding and O(6)H hydrogen bonding followed similar patterns with substantial differences in degrees of perfection, the O(3)H ranging from about 95% hydrogen bonding down to 8% and the O(6)H) from 92% down to 41%. Details of hydrogen bonds assessed in these chemical studies are discussed relative to crystallinities and assignments of hydrogen bond structures from x-ray diffraction studies.