Hydroxyl radicals, generated photochemically from hydrogen peroxide in queous base, have been shown to cleave directly glycosidic linkages in methyl β-D-glucoside and methyl β-cellobioside [1,2]. In this paper we show that hydroxyl radicals are responsible for the degradation of glycosidic linkages in 1,5-anhydrocellobitol and 2-methoxytetrahydropyran by substitution reactions displacing 1-deoxyglucose, D-glucose, tetrahydropyran-2- ol and methanol. Once the glycosidic linkages are broken, reducing carbohydrates undergo a series of reactions forming aldonic acids and lower order aldoses in the same manner as described previously [1,2]. Under these same conditions, hydroxyl radicals degrade cellulose substantially as evidenced by viscosity loss.
Forest Bioproducts Research Institute