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cellulose
cellulose chief constituent of the cell walls of plants. Chemically, it is a carbohydrate that is a high molecular weight polysaccharide. Raw cotton is composed of 91% pure cellulose; other important natural sources are flax, hemp, jute, straw, and wood. Cellulose has been used for the manufactur...
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cellophane
cellophane thin, transparent sheet or tube of regenerated cellulose . Cellophane is used in packaging and as a membrane for dialysis . It is sometimes dyed and can be moisture-proofed by a thin coating of pyroxylin . There are several steps in the preparation of cellophane from raw cellulose. Th...
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nitrocellulose
nitrocellulose nitric acid ester of cellulose (a glucose polymer). It is usually formed by the action of a mixture of nitric and sulfuric acids on purified cotton or wood pulp. The extent of nitration and degradation (breaking down) of the cellulose is carefully controlled in order to obtain th...
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celluloid
celluloid [from cellulose ], transparent, colorless synthetic plastic made by treating cellulose nitrate with camphor and alcohol. Celluloid was the first important synthetic plastic and was widely used as a substitute for more expensive substances, such as ivory, amber, horn, and tortoiseshell....
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lignin
lignin , a highly polymerized and complex chemical compound especially common in woody plants. The cellulose walls of the wood become impregnated with lignin, a process called lignification, which greatly increases the strength and hardness of the cell and gives the necessary rigidity to the tree. I...
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acetate
acetate , one of the most important forms of artificial cellulose-based fibers; the ester of acetic acid. The first patents for the production of fibers from cellulose acetate appeared at the beginning of the 20th cent. During World War I, production of acetylcellulose began on an industrial scale f...
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rayon
rayon synthetic fibers made from cellulose or textiles woven from such fibers; more rayon is manufactured than any other synthetic fiber. The name was adopted (1924), in preference to "artificial silk," by the U.S. Dept. of Commerce and various commercial associations. As early as 1665 the En...
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chitin
chitin , main constituent of the shells of arthropods. Chitin, a polysaccharide (see carbohydrate ) analogous in chemical structure to cellulose , consists of units of a glucose derivative ( N -acetyl- d -glucosamine) joined to form a long, unbranched chain. Like cellulose, chitin contributes st...
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bran
bran outer coat of a cereal grain—e.g., wheat, rye, and corn—mechanically removed from commercial flour and meal by bolting or sifting. Wheat bran is extensively used as feed for farm animals. Bran is used as food for humans (in cereals or mixed with flour in bread) to add roughage (i.e...
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chemurgy
chemurgy , branch of applied chemistry concerned with preparing industrial products from agricultural raw materials. Among such products are plastics manufactured from casein and soybean; soaps derived from animal and vegetable fats; cellulose fiber products made from, for example, straws, stubble, ...
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