THE HEMICELLULOSE OF WHITE ELM (ULMUS AMERICANA) II. CONSTITUTION OF THE METHYL GLUCURONO-XYLAN

Abstract

The wood of white elm (Ulmusamericana) has been found to contain less xylan than most other hardwoods. Partial hydrolysis of the hemicellulose component yielded an aldotriouronic acid, a glucuronosyl xylose, 2-O-(4-O-methyl-α-D-glucopyranosyluronic acid)-D-xylopyranose, 4-O-methyl-D-glucuronic acid, and galacturonic acid.Hydrolysis of the fully methylated polysaccharide gave a mixture of 2-O- and 3-O-methyl-D-xylose, 2,3-di-O-methyl-D-xylose, 2,3,4-tri-O-methyl-D-xylose, and 2-O-(2,3,4-tri-O-methyl-α-D-glucopyranosyluronic acid)-3-O-methyl-D-xylopyranose in a molar ratio of 6:124:1:14. The number-average degree of polymerization of the methylated hemicellulose was 133 and that of the native polymer 185. On the basis of this and other evidence it is suggested that the xylan is linear and contains 185 1,4-linked β-D-xylopyranose residues, every seventh of which carries a single terminal side chain of 4-O-methyl-D-glucuronic acid attached by an α-glycosidic bond through C₂ of the xylose. The number of acid groups is larger than in other hardwood hemicelluloses so far studied.