The Nature of the Hemicelluloses of Jute Fiber

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Abstract
A polyuronide hemicellulose has been isolated from the chlorite holocellulose of jute fiber. It constitutes about 75% of the hemicelluloses of jute and appears to consist of one molecule of monomethyglucuronic acid linked with six of anhydroxylose, which is the repeating unit. On hydrolysis, it gives methylaldobiuronic acid, which has been investigated as the barium salt; complete hydrolysis of this acid has not been possible. Results of the bromine oxidation of the barium salt of methylaldobiuronic acid indicate that the acid is at one end of the chain, and its hemiacetal group forms the glucosidic link with xylose. There is no free xylan in jute fiber. The only other sugar detected so far in the alkali extract of jute holocellulose is galactose, which occurs only in small amounts. Methyluronic acid seems to be incapable of yielding fur fural on distillation with 12% hydrochloric acid. This methyluronic acid-xylose complex is the main, if not the only, acidic constituent of the fiber, to which, apparently, is due its natural affin ity for basic dyes.