Structure of nascent microbial cellulose - IV. Influence of size and substitution groups of direct dye on nascent microbial cellulose

The structures of products obtained from Acetobacter-cultures in the presence of direct dyes and cellulose regenerated from those were examined by X-ray measurements. The products obtained in the presence of direct dyes showed the X-ray diffraction diagrams with two distinct peaks different from the diffraction diagram of microbial cellulose. These products were crystalline complexes containing the direct dye between the cellulose sheets corresponding to the (1 (1) over bar 0) plane of microbial cellulose. Cellulose I was regenerated from the Direct Brown 106 and the Direct Blue 71 complexes, cellulose IV was regenerated from the Direct Red 28 complex and cellulose II was regenerated from the Direct Red 80 complex. The different effects of direct dyes on the structure of the nascent cellulose may be due mainly to the number of sulfonate groups per unit of molecular weight.