Cellulose.docVIP

Cellulose (纤维素) Uses: wood, fibers (cotton, rayon, flax, hemp), component of shampoo thickeners Monomer: glucose Morphology: crystalline Cellulose is one of many polymers found in nature. Wood, paper, and cotton all contain cellulose. Cellulose is an excellent fiber. Wood, cotton, and hemp rope are all made of fibrous cellulose. Cellulose is made of repeat units of the monomer glucose. This is the same glucose which your body metabolizes in order to live, but you cant digest it in the form of cellulose. Because cellulose is built out of a sugar monomer, it is called a polysaccharide. glucose (葡萄糖) Cellulose has an important place in the story of polymers because it was used to make some of the first synthetic polymers, like cellulose nitrate, cellulose acetate, and rayon. Cellulose Nitrate The very first derivative of cellulose came about when a scientist reacted cellulose, in the form of cotton, with nitric acid. The result was cellulose nitrate. Often times, as soon as something is invented, the first thing we do is figure out a way to use it to kill people. Such is the case with cellulose nitrate. Cellulose nitrate, also called gun cotton, turned out to be a powerful explosive. It soon replaced common gunpowder as the explosive charge in the ammunition for rifles and artillery. It worked so well that in the First World War, we were capable of killing ten million people in only four short years. In all fairness to cellulose nitrate, it was also used for peaceful purposes. You see, even back then, there was concern that Africas elephant herds were disappearing far too quickly, and a replacement needed to be found for ivory in billiard balls. Cellulose nitrate is also a thermoplastic, and was quickly used to make the balls for the worlds pool halls. The only problem was every once in awhile one of these would explode during the break. Cellulose nitrate was also used to make an early polymer containing composite material, safety glass. This was a sandwich ma