Magnetic anisotropy of naturally occurring substances. III. Wood and its constituents

Abstract

The diamagnetic anisotropy and absolute susceptibilities of wood, lignin and wood cellulose have been determined. It has been found that the 'crystalline' element in wood is definitely cellulose and that lignin and the hemi-celluloses make no contribution to the magnetic anisotropy, suggesting either a random orientation if they are crystalline or an amorphous structure. In the light of evidence from other sources, it seems most likely that they are amorphous. The anisotropy measurements also indicate that the direction of maximum diamagnetic susceptibility in the cellulose molecule is along the length of the chain. Since it is also known that the direction of maximum electric polarisability too is along the chain length, we find that these directions coincide in the molecule just as in the case of the higher long-chain saturated hydrocarbons.