Question

Cellulose is a polymer of
A. $\alpha $ - D Glucose
B. $\beta $ - D Glucose
C. $\alpha $ - D Fructose
D. $\beta $ - D Fructose

Answer 1

Hint: Cellulose is a polysaccharide which consists of a linear chain of several hundred to thousands of D linked glucose units. Cellulose is an important structural component of the primary cell wall of green plants which includes many forms of algae and the oomycetes. Cellulose is the most abundant organic polymer present on the Earth.

Complete answer:
Cellulose is a vital structural part of the plant which is a polysaccharide, which is formed by the linkage of 1, 4 linkage of the glucose unit. Cellulose is mainly used to produce paper and paperboards. Cellulose is odorless and tasteless and is insoluble in the water and most of the organic solvents but it is biodegradable and is chiral. Cellulose is derived from D-glucose units, which is condense through $\alpha $ - glycosidic bonds. Cellulose is a straight chain polymer which has no coiling or branching and molecules adopt an extended and stiff rod-like conformation which is aided by equatorial conformation of the glucose residues.
Cellulose does not have a free aldehyde group which causes them as non reducing sugar compounds. Cellulose is fibrous polysaccharide as it exists in the form of a long chain-like structure which is found in the plants.

Hence, the correct option is B. $\beta $ - D Glucose.

Note: Cellulose is much more crystalline compared to the starch. Cellulose is major component of wood, fibers, cotton and also used in pharmaceuticals. Thus, cellulose becomes commercially important as well as it is structurally to the plants.