Xylan acidic, methylation analysis

The floss silk from Chorisia speciosa furnished a polysaccharide with a main chain of (1 -> 4) linked P-Xylp substituted at 0-2 by 5 % of uronic acid. The xylan structure also was interposed with a-Rhap units in small amounts. The defatted seeds furnished on aqueous extraction a major fraction, ((9-acetyl, 10 % and protein, 45 %) wich was hydrolysed and analysed by p.c. and GLC, showing Rha (20 %), Ara (16 %), Gal (64 %) and also uronic acids (45 %). Partial hydrolysis gave rise to a polysaccharide free of arabinose, with 46 % of uronic acids. Methylation analysis (GLC -MS) indicated a chain of (1 4) - linked Gal/ (42 % of 2,3,6-Me3-Gal). 

Scheme 3 Acidic Xylan (polysaccharide fraction D4) -methylation analysis, partial fragmentation to methylated aldobiouronic acid derivatives (j ), and general structure ( )...

A xylan extracted from the holocellulose present in the stalks of Nicotiana tabacum has been purified by ion-exchange chromatography. The results of methylation analysis, partial hydrolysis with acid, and enzymic hydrolysis indicated that the xylan is composed of a straight chain of approximately 100 /S-(l -> 4)-linked D-xylopyranosyl residues. Curie point-g.l.c. of the xylan yielded 2-furaldehyde, which is probably formed via 3-deoxy-D- /ycero-pent-2-ulose. Another major product was identified as 3-hydroxy-2-penteno-1,5-lactone (21) by high-resolution m.s. this lactone has also been prepared by pyrolysis of a hexuronic acid-containing xylan from beech. Since the tobacco-stalk xylan contains no acidic components, the lactone (21) must arise by... 

A xylan has been isolated from the stalks of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) by alkaline extraction (52). Methylation analysis, acid hydrolysis and hydrolysis with an endo-P-l,4-xylanase confirm that the tobacco xylan is a linear, unbranched chain of P-4-linked xylosyl residues. 

Esterases. Acetyl esterase (EC 3.1.1.6) removes acetyl esters from acetylated xylose and short-chain xylo-oligomers. It s polymeracting counterpart, acetyl xylan esterase (EC 3.1.1.72), has a similar activity, but prefers polymeric xylan.244 In addition to acetate-specific enzyme detection kits, HPLC or GC analysis of acetate release from native extracted xylan and chemically acetylated xylan, colorimetric substrates, such as p-nitrophenol acetate and /3-napthyl acetate, or the fluorometric substrate, 4-methylumbelliferyl acetate are also used to assay acetyl esterases.244,253 The third esterase, ferulic acid esterase (EC 3.1.1.73), hydrolyzes the ester bond between ferulic acid or coumaric acid and the arabinose side chain of arabinoxylan. Assays for this activity are usually carried out using starch-free wheat bran or cellulase-treated gramineous biomass as a substrate and monitoring ferulic or coumaric acid released by HPLC or TLC. When preparing enzyme-treated substrates, care must be taken to employ phenolic-acid-esterase-free cellulases.244 Other substrates include methyl and ethyl esters of the phenolic acids, as well as finely ground plant biomass.240,254,255... 

Hardwood hemicelluloses are represented by xylans and a small proportion of glucomannans. Hardwood xylans are linear polymers, constituted of [l,4]-linked xylanopyranosyl units that constitute the main skeleton. Every tenth D-xylanopyranosyl unit is substituted by a 4-0-methyl-D-glucuronic acid residue, linked to the birch xylan chain by [1,2] linkages, that has been found to retard the alkaline peeling reaction. Analysis of partially hydrolyzed xylan indicates that 4-0-methyl-D-glucuronic acid units linked to the C2 position are randomly distributed along the birch xylan backbone [9]. 

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