X-ray absorption spectra of aqueous cellobiose; Experiment and theory

Akazawa, Daisuke ; Sasaki, Takehiko*; Nagasaka, Masanari*; Shiga, Motoyuki   

The hydration structure of cellulose is very important for understanding the hydrolysis of cellulose at the molecular level. In this paper, we report a joint experimental and theoretical study on the X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) of aqueous cellobiose, a disaccharide unit of cellulose. In the experimental part, high resolution measurements of the carbon K-edge XAS spectra were performed. It was found that the peak heights in the spectrum change considerably over the temperature range of 25 C to 60 C, which is a reflection of the number of hydrogen bonds between cellobiose and water. We suggest that this spectral change could be useful information for identifying the hydration of cellulose in various environments.