Abstract
A NEW chemical synthesis of cellobiose by a simple and direct method has been accomplished by Stacey and Gilbert. The structure of the repeating unit in cellulose is therefore well established, and the microbiological synthesis of the polysaccharide was achieved by Hibbert. Starch, another functional material of the plant, is recognizable as two structural types of polysaccharide: amylose giving the deep blue coloration with iodine and representing about 25 per cent of natural starch, and amylopectin, the remaining 75 per cent, giving a reddish-blue colour. Amylose, synthesized both by plant and muscle phosphorylase, is represented as a continuous chain of maltose units and this is completely hydrolysed to rmltose by β-amylase. Amylopectin is also composed of maltose units in shorter chains which are united as a laminated or branched-chain structure, and this is hydrolysed in stages to maltose and various dextrins. The factor responsible for the synthesis of amylopectin has not yet been isolated, but attempts have been made in this direction. Products related to amylopectin have been obtained by Dr. Peat, but their identity is not yet established.
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Structure, Function and Synthesis of Polysaccharides*. Nature 153, 785 (1944). https://doi.org/10.1038/153785b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/153785b0