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Page Facing Up

Theme B - Form & Function

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Direct Hit

Theme A - Unity & diversity

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Pill

Theme C - Interaction &  Interdependence

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Keycap Digit One

Theme D - Continuity & Change

<ul>
	<li>Just like its buddies, starch and glycogen, cellulose is made of glucose. But, it&#39;s a tad bit different &ndash; it&rsquo;s the cooler cousin made of &beta;-glucose, while starch and glycogen are made of &alpha;-glucose.</li>
	<li>Think of glucose as Lego blocks. Just like how you can stack Lego in different ways, glucose can form different structures based on its type.</li>
</ul>

<ul>
	<li>Linking up!: Condensation reactions (when molecules join &amp; water is produced) link a free &beta;-glucose&rsquo;s C1 to C4 of another at the end of the growing cellulose chain.</li>
	<li>Bond type: All the bonds holding the glucose together in cellulose are 1&rarr;4 glycosidic bonds, meaning it&#39;s a straight chain. No curly-wurly branches here!</li>
	<li>Size Matters: A single cellulose molecule can have over 10,000 &beta;-glucose molecules! Each &beta;-glucose is about 1nm, so one cellulose molecule can be more than 10&micro;m long!</li>
</ul>

<ul>
	<li>In &beta;-glucose, the &ndash;OH group at C1 faces up and at C4, it faces down. To link them, every new &beta;-glucose added turns upside down compared to the previous one. It&#39;s like a dance where every other person is doing a headstand!</li>
	<li>Result? Alternating &beta;-glucose units facing up and down.</li>
	<li>Now, &alpha;-glucose in starch is like a curly slide (helix), but because of this upside-down dance, cellulose &beta;-glucose remains straight.</li>
</ul>

<ul>
	<li>These straight chains group together, side by side. Imagine a bundle of straight straws!</li>
	<li>The regularly spaced &ndash;OH groups allow them to form many hydrogen bonds with each other.</li>
	<li>This tight group is known as microfibrils - the bedrock of plant cell walls.</li>
</ul>

<ul>
	<li>Super Strength: Microfibrils are super strong because of
	<ul>
		<li>The strong bonds in cellulose</li>
		<li>Loads of molecules packed together</li>
		<li>Many cross-links between them</li>
	</ul>
	</li>
	<li>This super strength stops plant cells from going &quot;pop!&quot; when there&#39;s a lot of water entering by osmosis.</li>
</ul>

Imagine you&#39;re filling a balloon (plant cell) with water. Too much water and the balloon might burst. But if that balloon was made of super-strong material (thanks to cellulose), you could fill in a lot more water without worrying about it bursting. That&rsquo;s how plant cells, thanks to cellulose, can handle high pressures without bursting.

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In short, cellulose is the unsung hero in the plant world, providing strength and structure. So, next time you feel the firmness of a tree trunk or the rigidity of a leaf, remember the mighty cellulose working behind the scenes! 🌿🪴

Theme B - Form & Function

Unlocking Cellulose Plant's Structural Powerhouse

Table of content

What is cellulose? 🍃

How is cellulose structured? 📏

The cool twist in cellulose 🔄

Unlock the Full Content!

Theme B - Form & Function

Unlocking Cellulose Plant's Structural Powerhouse

Table of content

What is cellulose? 🍃

How is cellulose structured? 📏

The cool twist in cellulose 🔄

Unlock the Full Content!