Cellulosic fibrils fibril-water interactions

Cellulose is insoluble in water because of the high affinity of the polymer chains for one another. Its individual polymeric chains have molecular weights of 50,000 or greater. The molecular chains of cellulose interact in parallel bundles of about 2,000 chains. Each bundle constitutes a single microfibril. Many microfibrils arranged in parallel constitute a macrofibril, which can be seen under the light microscope. Figure 12.10 shows the inner cell walls of the plant Valonia the fibrils in the wall are almost pure cellulose. 

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