The ε-Galactan of Larch Wood

Abstract

THE occurrence of this material, which is of considerable interest in connexion with the chemistry of wood formation, has been recognized for some time and it has been shown to contain d-galactose and l-arabinose residues¹. In a recent article² descriptions are given of esters of this galactan and of its methyl ether, and the authors tentatively conclude that the substance hitherto designated ε-galactan is probably a mixture of a galactan and an araban. As the outcome of experiments carried out before the outbreak of war we had reached a similar conclusion, arrived at from a study of the hydrolysis products obtained from methylated e-galactan. In view of the fact that Wise et al. have not dealt with the hydrolysis of the methyl derivative, we are now summarizing the main features of our results, which, although incomplete, had already given information concerning the structure of this galactan.