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Chemistry

Cellulose stacks up

The long chains of cellulose pack laterally into microfibrils of two crystalline forms. Comparison of the structures of these two forms reveals unexpected patterns of bonding that tie the chains together.

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Figure 1: Numbering system for carbon and oxygen atoms in two consecutive glucosyl units of cellulose.
Figure 2: Symmetry and directions of hydrogen bonding in cellulose1,2.

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Jarvis, M. Cellulose stacks up. Nature 426, 611–612 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/426611a

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