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How is xylose prepared from corncobs and straw?
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Xylose is a crystalline aldose sugar with the chemical formula . It is not prepared directly from corncobs and straw as raw materials, but rather obtained from the hemicellulose found within the cell walls and woody tissues of such plants.123
Specifically, these plant materials contain xylans, which are complex carbohydrates composed of many xylose molecules linked together. Xylose is produced from these xylans through the process of hydrolysis, a chemical reaction that breaks the bonds holding the sugar units together.231