Abstract
The efficiency of acid methanolysis toward cleavage of glucuronosyl linkages in hemicelluloses and pectins was studied. Two aldo-uronic acids (a dimer and a tetramer) were submitted to methanolysis with different acidic strength and methanolysis time. The aldo-uronic acid tetramer was only affected by the acidity of the medium, whereas the dimer was sensitive towards both reaction time and acidity. It was concluded that methanolysis of 0.5-1 mg of model compounds with 2 ml of 2 M HCl/MeOH at 100degreesC for 3-5 h was the best compromise between good cleavage of the glucuronosyl bonds ( approximate to 70%, mol/mol) and little degradation of the uronic acid released (below 20%, mol/ mol). The acid methanolysis of reference oligo- and polysaccharides verified the good accuracy of the method. The application of acid methanolysis on mechanical pulp fibres was tested on a thermomechanical pulp. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
| Original language | Undefined/Unknown |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 319–324 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Carbohydrate Polymers |
| Volume | 48 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| Publication status | Published - 2002 |
| MoE publication type | A1 Journal article-refereed |
Keywords
- fibres
- glucuronosyl linkage
- hemicelluloses
- methanolysis
- pectins
- polysaccharide
- Pulp
- uronic acid
- wood