Unit-cell galactomannan

Changes in unit-cell dimensions of guar galactomannan with relative humidity are highly anisotropic, as is shown by the data in Table III. The water lodges exclusively in planes parallel to the chains and at right angles to the ab sheets, as shown in Fig. 25. 

Unit-cell Size, in A., for Guar Galactomannan at Different Contents of Moisture... 

With the exception of cellulose and chitin, plant polysaccharides are usually hydrated. Hydration often occurs in the crystalline regions as well as in the amorphous areas. When water of hydration is found in the crystallites, it may or may not affect the conformation of the polysaccharide backbone and in most cases, it affects the unit-cell dimensions, while in a few cases, the water appears to have no effect on unit-cell dimensions. The structures of six hydrated neutral polysaccharides will be examined with regards to the state of water of hydration in the structure. It wi 11 be seen that water may occur as columns or as sheets in these structures. The structures that will be discussed are (1 4)-3-p-xylan, nigeran, amylose, galactomannan, (1 3)-3-p-gTucan and (1 3)-s-P-xy1 an. The chemical structures of these polysaccharides are shown in Figure 1. 

The structures of the cell-wall D-mannans of several other yeasts have been investigated381 by use of this exo-a-D-mannanase. Five were degraded to the (l->6)-a-D-mannan chain. Those which contained jB-linked d-mannosyl units or a-D-galactosyl groups in the side chains were not significantly hydrolyzed. However, removal, by partial hydrolysis with acid, of the a-D-galactosyl units from five galactomannans, and of /3-linked D-mannosyl units from three other D-mannans, rendered these polysaccharides partially susceptible to hydrolysis by exo-a-D-mannanase, consistent with an a-linked-D-mannan structure. 

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