POLYMERS

A polymer is a large molecule , or macromolecule, made up of chains or rings of linked

repeating subunits, which are called monomers

NATURAL POLMERS
Cellulose , agar , silk , pectin , chitin
1) CELLULOSE
Characteristics

How is cellulose useful?

Cellulose is a molecule, consisting of hundreds – and sometimes even
thousands – of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen atoms. Cellulose is the main
substance in the walls of plant cells, helping plants to remain stiff and upright.
Humans cannot digest cellulose, but it is important in the diet as fibre. Fibre
assists your digestive system – keeping food moving through the gut
and pushing waste out of the body.

Animals, such as cows, sheep and horses, can digest cellulose, which is why
they can get the energy and nutrients they need from grass.

Cellulose has many uses. In cotton, it makes clothes like t-shirts and jeans.
Paper-making needs huge quantities of cellulose, obtained mainly from wood.

STRUCTURE
Cellulose is an organic compound with the formula (C
6H

10O

5)

n, a polysaccharide consisting of a linear chain of several hundred to many thousands of β(1→4)

linked D-glucose units.[3][4]

cellulose is composed of a long chain of at least 500 glucose molecules. Cellulose is thus a
polysaccharide (Latin for "many sugars"). Several of these polysaccharide chains are arranged
in parallel arrays to form cellulose microfibrils. The individual polysaccharide chains are bound
together in the microfibrils by hydrogen bonds. The microfibrils, in turn, are bundled together to
form macrofibrils

The microfibrils of cellulose are extremely tough and inflexible due to the presence of hydrogen
bonds. In fact, when describing the structure of cellulose microfibrils, chemists call their
arrangement "crystalline," meaning that the microfibrils have crystal-like properties. Although
starch has the same basic structure as cellulose—it is also a polysaccharide—the glucose
subunits are bonded in such a way that allows the starch molecule to twist. In other words, the
starch molecule is flexible, while the cellulose molecule is rigid.

Structure and properties[edit]

Cellulose has no taste, is odorless, is hydrophilic with the contact angle of 20–30 degrees,[13] is
insoluble in water and most organic solvents, is chiral and is biodegradable. It was shown to melt at
467 °C in pulse tests made by Dauenhauer et al. (2016).[14] It can be broken down chemically into its
glucose units by treating it with concentrated mineral acids at high temperature.[15]
Cellulose is derived from D-glucose units, which condense through β(1→4)-glycosidic bonds. This
linkage motif contrasts with that for α(1→4)-glycosidic bonds present in starch and glycogen.
Cellulose is a straight chain polymer. Unlike starch, no coiling or branching occurs and the molecule
adopts an extended and rather stiff rod-like conformation, aided by the equatorial conformation of
the glucose residues. The multiple hydroxyl groups on the glucose from one chain form hydrogen
bonds with oxygen atoms on the same or on a neighbor chain, holding the chains firmly together
side-by-side and forming microfibrils with high tensile strength. This confers tensile strength in cell
walls where cellulose microfibrils are meshed into a polysaccharide matrix. The high tensile strength
of plant stems and of the tree wood also arises from the arrangement of cellulose fibers intimately
distributed into the lignin matrix. The mechanical role of cellulose fibers in the wood matrix
responsible for its strong structural resistance, can somewhat be compared to that of
the reinforcement bars in concrete, lignin playing here the role of the hardened cement paste acting
as the "glue" in between the cellulose fibers.

A triple strand of cellulose showing the hydrogen bonds (cyan lines) between glucose strands

Cotton fibres represent the purest natural form of cellulose, containing more than 90% of this polysaccharide.

Compared to starch, cellulose is also much more crystalline.