Cellulose

Cellulose is a linear polysaccharide of glucose molecules linked by β(1→4) bonds. Its chains form strong fibers that provide structural support in plant cell walls.

β(1→4) glycosidic bond: A covalent linkage joining the anomeric carbon of one sugar to carbon 4 of another in the beta configuration. This linkage makes cellulose chains straight rather than branched or helical.
Glucose: A six-carbon monosaccharide that serves as a major energy source and building block in living organisms. Repeated glucose units form the cellulose chain.
Paper: A sheet material made chiefly from interwoven plant fibers, commonly cellulose. Cellulose fibers form the load-bearing network in most paper.
Plant cell wall: A rigid extracellular layer surrounding plant cells, composed of cellulose, hemicellulose, pectin, and other substances. Cellulose is the main load-bearing component of most plant cell walls.
Hydrogen bond: An attraction involving a hydrogen atom covalently bonded to an electronegative atom and another electronegative atom. Hydrogen bonds between cellulose chains help stabilize their packed structure.
Polysaccharide: A carbohydrate polymer made of many monosaccharide units linked by glycosidic bonds. Cellulose is one structural member of this broad class of carbohydrate.
Cotton: A soft plant fiber composed almost entirely of cellulose, harvested from cotton plants. Cotton is a naturally occurring, cellulose-rich textile fiber.
Hemicellulose: A diverse group of branched plant-cell-wall polysaccharides that associate with cellulose and other wall components. It surrounds and interacts with cellulose microfibrils in the plant wall.
Cellulose microfibril: A bundle of aligned cellulose chains that forms a strong, threadlike component of plant cell walls. Microfibrils are the structural fibers assembled from cellulose molecules.
Glycosidic bond: A covalent bond that joins a sugar molecule to another molecule, often another sugar. These bonds connect the glucose units in cellulose.

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