The Chemistry of Solid Wood

Some members of the scientific community feel that because wood has b e e n used ... Wood will receive a fresh look by scientists, politicians, and ec...
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PREFACE

Downloaded by 80.82.77.83 on May 22, 2018 | https://pubs.acs.org Publication Date: May 5, 1984 | doi: 10.1021/ba-1984-0207.pr001

M

OST BOOKS

PUBLISHED

U N D E R T H E TITLE

"WOOD CHEMISTRY"

COuld

more appropriately be titled " T h e C h e m i s t r y of W o o d C o m p o n e n t s " because they deal mainly w i t h the chemistry of cellulose, h e m i c e l luloses, lignin, extractives, bark, and p u l p i n g . U n d e r s t a n d i n g the c h e m i s t r y o f t h e c o m p o n e n t s is e s s e n t i a l , b u t w e u s e t h e t o t a l c o m ­ p o s i t e as a m a t e r i a l . T h e t i t l e o f t h i s b o o k m a y s e e m s o m e w h a t r e ­ d u n d a n t , b u t it was c h o s e n to m a k e t h e p o i n t that this text c o n c e n ­ trates o n the c h e m i s t r y of s o l i d w o o d a n d deals w i t h c o m p o n e n t c h e m i s t r y o n l y to t h e e x t e n t n e c e s s a r y to e x p l a i n t h e c o m p o s i t e . U n t i l t h e 1920s, w o o d c h e m i s t r y was a significant scientific d i s c i ­ pline. T h e advent of p e t r o l e u m chemistry took w o o d chemistry out of the l i m e l i g h t . O v e r the past 20 years, the steady d e c l i n e of t r a i n e d p e o p l e i n c a r b o h y d r a t e , l i g n i n e x t r a c t i v e s , a n d w o o d c h e m i s t r y has r e d u c e d drastically the available w o r k force, a n d these w o r k e r s are scattered around the w o r l d . T h e "easy" w o o d chemistry questions have b e e n answered; the m o r e difficult ones w i l l require a w e l l d i r e c t e d , c o o p e r a t i v e r e s e a r c h effort. W e m a y n o t b e a b l e t o a n s w e r the difficult questions, but t h r o u g h m u l t i d i s c i p l i n a r y research we w i l l , at l e a s t , b e a b l e t o ask m o r e i n t e l l i g e n t o n e s . T h e r e a l m o s t s e e m s to b e a s t i g m a associated w i t h w o o d c h e m i s t r y . S o m e m e m b e r s of the scientific c o m m u n i t y feel that because w o o d has b e e n u s e d f o r so l o n g , w e m u s t s u r e l y k n o w a l l t h e r e is t o k n o w a b o u t i t . A n d b e s i d e s , i t is s u c h a v a r i a b l e m a t e r i a l w i t h i n c o n s i s t e n t p r o p e r t i e s t h a t i t d o e s n o t r e q u i r e a h i g h l e v e l o f s o p h i s t i c a t i o n i n its research a p p r o a c h . U s i n g a m a t e r i a l a n d u n d e r s t a n d i n g it are a w o r l d a p a r t ! W o o d w i l l n e v e r r e a c h its h i g h e s t u s e p o t e n t i a l u n t i l w e f u l l y d e s c r i b e i t , u n d e r s t a n d t h e m e c h a n i s m s t h a t c o n t r o l its p r o p e r t i e s , a n d , finally, a r e a b l e to m a n i p u l a t e t h o s e p r o p e r t i e s to s u i t o u r n e e d s . Because the properties of w o o d are the results of the c h e m i s t r y of w o o d , t h i s m a n i p u l a t i o n is p o s s i b l e o n l y t h r o u g h w o o d c h e m i s t r y research. P e r h a p s w h a t is n e e d e d is a l i t t l e m o d e r n " h y p e . " I n s t e a d o f c a l l i n g this b o o k " T h e C h e m i s t r y of S o l i d W o o d , " the title " T h e C h e m i s t r y of T h r e e - D i m e n s i o n a l B i o p o l y m e r C o m p o s i t e s " m i g h t attract m o r e attention. This approach could b r i n g n e w people into a " n e w " science and reverse the decline in the n u m b e r of trained w o o d chemists. A t a n y r a t e , t h e t i m e is r i g h t f o r a r e n e w e d c o n s i d e r a t i o n o f t h i s s c i e n c e ix

Rowell; The Chemistry of Solid Wood Advances in Chemistry; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1984.

with national and international attention

focused

on renewable

re­

sources. W o o d w i l l receive a fresh look b y scientists, politicians, and e c o n o m i s t s b e c a u s e of its u n i q u e p r o p e r t i e s , aesthetics, l o w cost, l o w conversion energy, abundance,

availability, and renewability. The

l a r g e a t t e n d a n c e at t h e S e a t t l e s h o r t c o u r s e f r o m w h i c h t h i s b o o k w a s d e r i v e d indicates a m o r e active f u t u r e for w o o d c h e m i s t r y research. T h i s b o o k is a r e s u l t o f m a n y h o u r s o f effort b y m a n y p e o p l e . I t h a n k a l l o f t h e m for t h e i r t i m e a n d c o n c e r n for this project. I w o u l d e s p e c i a l l y l i k e t o t h a n k m y w i f e , J u d y , f o r h e r efforts as t h e s e c r e t a r y to t h e s h o r t c o u r s e a n d to K a t h y W a l k e r w h o has b e e n t h e s e c r e t a r y for this b o o k .

Downloaded by 80.82.77.83 on May 22, 2018 | https://pubs.acs.org Publication Date: May 5, 1984 | doi: 10.1021/ba-1984-0207.pr001

T h e b o o k is d e d i c a t e d

to a l l past, p r e s e n t ,

a n d future scientists

who proudly consider themselves w o o d chemists. ROGER M. ROWELL

U.S.

D e p a r t m e n t o f Agriculture

Madison,

WI

August

1983

53705

χ

Rowell; The Chemistry of Solid Wood Advances in Chemistry; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1984.