Hemicellulose

Description

A group of polysaccharides found in plants. Hemicelluloses are sugar containing polymers with longer chains than simple sugars but shorter chain lengths than cellulose. Wood contains 28-35% hemicellulose primarily composed of beta and gamma cellulose. Hemicellulose improves cohesiveness in paper. Examples of some types of hemicellulose are beta cellulose, gamma cellulose, agar, algin, and pectin.

Synonyms and Related Terms

hemicellulose (Fr.); hemicelulosa (Esp.); hemicelulose (Port.); emicellulosa (It.)

Authority

• Mary-Lou Florian, Dale Paul Kronkright, Ruth E. Norton, The Conservation of Artifacts Made from Plant Materials, The Getty Conservation Institute, Los Angeles, 1990

• Hoechst Celanese Corporation, Dictionary of Fiber & Textile Technology (older version called Man-made Fiber and Textile Dictionary, 1965), Hoechst Celanese Corporation, Charlotte NC, 1990

• Matt Roberts, Don Etherington, Bookbinding and the Conservation of Books: a Dictionary of Descriptive Terminology, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington DC, 1982

• A Glossary of Paper Conservation Terms, Margaret Ellis (ed.), Conservation Center of the Institute of Fine Arts, New York City, 1998

• G.S.Brady, Materials Handbook, McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1971 Comment: p. 128

• Richard S. Lewis, Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 10th ed., 1993