Paracrystalline lattice disorder in cellulose. I. Reappraisal of the application of the two‐phase hypothesis to the analysis of powder x‐ray diffractograms of native and hydrolyzed cellulosic materials

Abstract

Abstract An examination of powder x‐ray diffractograms of native and hydrolyzed cellulosic materials obtained from widely different sources revealed the presence of materials having a higher degree of molecular order than ramie hydrolyzate, the conventional crystalline standard for cellulose. With the use of these materials as new crystalline standards, a critical reappraisal has been made of the validity of the application of the two‐phase (i.e., fringed‐micelle) hypothesis to the fine structure of cotton and related cellulosic materials. It is concluded that the lattice structure of cotton and related celluloses of plant or bacterial origin is liquid‐like or paracrystalline.