Exploitation of Galactomannans

The patent literature pertaining to the industrial exploitation of guar gum from 1948 to 1962 has been comprehensively collated by Saxena,34 and will not be considered here. Saxena s compilation34 covers more than 70 patents relating to 15 industries, and includes gum extraction and purification, and modification of gum properties. A selection, taken from the literature over the past decade or so, of applications of galactomannans is given in Table VI. It may be seen that guar gum is, indeed, a versatile product. Some of the more im- 

The chemical and physical properties of the galactomannans are important in their industrial applications. Thus, the ability to imbibe water, to form a thick, mucilaginous paste that is impervious to further water, is utilized by the mining and related industries, both as a method of waterproofing explosives236-258 and as a plugging composi- 

Galactomannans have been used as flocculents (for the purification of ores, for example) and a study has been made of the gum structure by electron microscopy. The smallest fiber-diameter for an evaporated film of guar gum was found260 to be 4 nm, but, when a kaolinite-guar gum flocculate was examined, the diameter of the smallest fiber that was attached to the kaolin was found to be 10 nm. It is suggested that flocculation is caused by polymer bridging of the clay particles. 

MURINE MYELOMA IMMUNOGLOBULINS WITH POLYSACCHARIDE ANTIGENS  

Metabolism, and Digestive Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20014 

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