The Typical Cellulose and the Cellulose Group 5 1 



No sugar (dextrose) is formed down to this stage, the result 

 indicating a loss of sulphuric acid, and the formation of the 

 monosulphuric ester, C 6 H,,O 4 .SO 4 H, as the limit. This pro- 

 duct, as the original disulphuric ester, is without action on 

 Fehling's solution. 



Subsequently the following were obtained as products of 

 the further hydrolysis. 



5C 6 H 9 O 4 SO 4 H C 12 H, 9 O 9 SO 4 H 

 2 C G H 9 O 4 SO 4 H C 12 H 19 O 9 SO 4 H. 



This stage indicates further resolution of the monosulphuric 

 ester ; this takes place rapidly and is difficult to control. 



The hydrolysis was then proceeded with for longer periods, 

 30-120 minutes. The results are thus summarised : sugar is 

 formed, and acid products, with increasingly less barium and 

 sulphuric acid. The sugar formed is dextrose. The following 

 products were investigated : 



6H 2 SO 4 .C 12 H 18 O 9 ioH.SO 4 C 6 H 9 O 4 .2HSO 4 C 12 H l9 O 9 



H 2 SO 4 C 12 H 18 O 9 HSO 4 C 12 H 19 O 9 



H 2 SO 4 C 12 H 18 O 9 4C,,H 19 O 9 SO 4 H 



H 2 SO 4 C 12 H 18 O 9 4Ci 2 H 19 O 9 SO 4 H.2C 6 H 12 O 6 . 



The corresponding Ba salts of these products contain more 

 Ba than is necessary to saturate the acid group SO 4 H. It is 

 highly probable that one of the OH groups of the resolved 

 cellulose molecule acquires acid functions. 



The series of degradation products of the cellulose molecule 

 are termed cellulose-sulphuric acids by the author ; but this 

 designation is misleading. 



The most important features of this careful study of the 

 molecular dissection of cellulose are, (i) the fact that the 

 molecule can be very considerably resolved without freeing 

 the aldehydic CO groups ; (2) the differentiation of two of 

 the OH groups of the C 6 unit, as having a superior basic or 



2 



