Explanation of Cellulosic Fibers in brief
by : Rahul Sharma
Cellulosic Fibers:
The earliest cellulosic fibers were lines and cotton, both of which have been used since remote antiquity. Linen, or flax, is derived from 'bast' fibers of plants of the Linum family, especially Linum usitatissimum. After removal of glutinous and pectinous matter the fiber has cellulose content of 82 - 83%. Cotton, which is fine hair attached to seeds of various species of plants of the Gossypium gens, has a cellulose content which may reach 96%. Cellulose is a polymer weight consisting of long chains of D-glucose units connected by B-1, 4-glucosidic bonds.
Each glucose unit contains three alcoholic hydroxyl groups, of which two are secondry and one is primary. The degree of polymerization of cellulose varies from a few hundred to 3500 or more.
