SOLID-STATE C-13 NUCLEAR-MAGNETIC-RESONANCE STUDIES OF WOOD DECAY .1. WHITE-ROT DECAY OF COLORADO BLUE SPRUCE

This paper describes a solid-state C-13 nuclear magnetic resonance study of the decay of Colorado blue spruce (Picea pungens) by the white rots, Phanerochaete chrysosporium, Trametes versicolor and Dichomitus squalens. The white rot fungi were observed to remove both lignin and carbohydrates fractions of the wood almost evenly, showing no large preference for either wood component. There appears to be a slight preference for decay of amorphous carbohydrate components to that of crystalline cellulose. The lignin appears to be oxidized by white rot fungi and (evidence for) C(alpha)-C(beta) cleavage reactions is observed for the spruce.