Synthesis of Cellulose.
The process of cellulosic fermentation may be represented by the equation:
n. (C12H22O11)
Saccharose.
=
n. (C6H10O5)
Cellulose.
+
n. (C6H12O6)
Glucose.
A similar transformation takes place under the influence of certain fatty seeds, e. g. those of rape and colza; and it is probable that the formation of cellulose in living plants may take place at the expense of saccharose and under the influence of ferments. In support of this it has been established that in the sugar-cane, the formation of wood—i.e. cellulose—is accompanied pari passu by a decrease in saccharose. More recently, A. Brown (Chem. Soc. Journ., 432, 1886) has investigated the formation of cellulose by the “vinegar plant” growing in solutions of the carbo-hydrates, e. g. dextrose in yeast-water. The cells elaborate an extra-cellular fibrin, which acts as a “cell-collecting medium,” and they possess therefore a two-sided activity, i.e. the property above mentioned, in addition to their strictly fermentative activity. The cellulose film in question was found to contain 50 to 60 per cent. of pure cellulose. It is noteworthy that in a solution of levulose the growth of the “plant” is unattended by fermentative action, 33 per cent. of the substance being, on the other hand, transformed into cellulose.