OREGON FQREST PRODUCTS LABORATOR Y
LIBRAR Y
,
VI .
CHEMISTRY OF WOOD '
I.
The Results of Analysis of Heartwood and Sapwoo d
of Some American Wood s
October 1923
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTUR E
FOREST SERVIC E
FOREST PRODUCTS LABORATOR Y
Madison 5, Wisconsi n
In Cooperation with the University of Wisconsin
II
OREGON FOREST ?seescRS LABORATORY
LIBRARY_
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CMMIuTRY OF WOODl r
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By G . J, RITTER, Chemist
FI,,ECK,• Associate Chemist
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T . z 8 rt t!'r!Y
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This report contains the results obtained in the analysie of hear t ;
wood and sapwood of ten American woods . The work was undertaken to deterieekI
mine whether there is any uniform difference in chemical composition be- . ■e.
tween sapwood and heartwood in elither softwoods or hardwoods ., . .
-. . :y
I
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LLI I .
The methods of analysis used are the same as ;riven in the preceding
papers in this series .? All determinations were made in duplicate an d
the average is given in Table 1 .
4
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I. .
Discussion of Results
d
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Ashcontent .--There is no general agreement in the relative ash co
tent of sapwood and heartwood in the species examined .
r
. Extractive content,--In general, the extracts of ether, cold water ,
hot water, and 1 percent sodium hydroxide are lower in the sapwood than i n
the heartwood of the softwoods . In the hardwoods the extractives are lowe r
in the sapwood than in the heartwood of yellow birch, white oak, and yello w
poplar, but the reverse is true of white ash and pignut hickory . Thus ,
from the standpoint of extractive content in sapwood and heartwood, th e
hardwoods analyzed are divided into two classes -- one class following th e
order of the softwood, the other following the reverse course .
Acetic acid .--The acetic acid obtained by hydrolysis is higher i n
the sapwood than in the heartwood of both classes of woods ,
Methoxylcontent .--The relative percentages of methoxyl in the sap wood and heartwood of the species analyzed cannot be arranged in any genera l
order .
-Presented before the Division of Cellulose Chemistry at the 65th meeting o f
the American Chemical Society, New Haven, Conn ., Apr . 2-7, 1923 . Published in Jour . Indus, & Eng . Chem ! , Oct . 1923 .
, 1055 6
-Jour . Indus . & En g . Chem ., Nov, 1922 . 14, 1050 .
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~VI -.- The Results of Analysis of Heartwood
and Sapwood of Some American Woods
II
LI
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1
1
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Pentosancontent .--There is a tendency toward hi : p er yields o f
pentosans in the sapwood than in the heartwood of the species examined .
The difference in yields, however, is slight .
IIethyl pentosan content .--The methyl pentosan_ content in sapwoo d
and heartwood of the same class is quite uniform .
Cellulosecontent .--For the relative cellulose content of sapwoo d
and heartwood, the species analyzed, with the exception of ;yellow poplar ,
are grouped in a manner similar to that for extractives, All the softwood s
examined have higher cellulose yields in the sapwood than in the heartwoo .
This tends to counterbalance the low extractives in the sapwood . One hardwood group, yellow birch and white oak with high extractives in the heart wood, has high cellulose content in the sapwood . The other group of hard:woods, white ash and pignut hickory with high extractives in the sa p wood ,
has high cellulose content in the heartwood . The results obtained fro m
the two yellow poplar samples, which are en exception to the foregoin g
scheme of grouping, can be explained by referring to the condition of th e
samples .
Both yellow poplar samples showed slight signs of decay in the sac wood, This condition would tend to increase extractives in . the sapwood .
The results show sli g htly higher extractives in the heartwood than in th e
sapwood, which indicates that on the basis of extractives yellow ropier i s
strictly a member of the first group of hardwoods . If it belongs to th e
first group, the cellulose content should be higher in the sapwood than i n
the 'Heartwood, which is not the case . This can also be explained on th e
basis of the decayed condition which decreases the cellulose content i n
the sapwood, the reverse o± what would be expected in sound yellow po?ler .
Lignin content .--In softwoods, with the exce p tion of white ceder ,
the lignin content is higher in the sapwood ;;ha. in the heartwood . In the
hardwoods all species except yellow poplai have a higher lignin content i n
the heartwood than in the sapwoc .c .
J . s budy of the ratio between methoxyl and lignin is shownn in Table P .
A stn- of the results reveal, the fact that the metho .; l-li ;nin ratio i s
approximately 50 percent higher in hardwood ; than in softwoods . Thie r•:-4 o
averages less than 13 percent in bald cypress . In Paper 7 of this series =
it was shown that the metho ,yl content of isolated r.edwocd and live oak
lignins was approximately 17 .5 percent . Bald cypress lignin could not mee t
these specifications and, consequently, it must differ in chemiell composition from redwood and live oak lignir~s .
Pentosan content of cellulcse . e-T'ho p entosan content has a sligh t
tendency to run higher in the sa, .aood cellulose than in the heartwoo d
cellulose, similar to the results obtained in t :_e original wood .
:•.ethyl pentosan content ofcellulose .--In general, the methyl pentosan content is slightly higher in the heartwood cellulose than in the sap wood cellulose . A. similar relation was fe :una in the heartwood and sapwoo d
of the original samples .
R16
-2-
Alpha-, beta-, and amma-cellulose content ofcellulose .- 'he per ,
centages of the three kinds of cellulose in sapwood and heartwood cellulos e
cannot be grouped in any definite arrangement .
Conclusions
From a study of the data given in this report the fallowing conclusions may be drawn :
1, In softwoods the water, ether, and alkali extracts are highe r
in the heartwood than in the sapwood, and as a result the cellulose and
lignin are correspondingly lower in the heartwood (except lignin in white
cedar) .
2 . On the basis of extractives hardwoods are divided-into two
groups : (a) those with high extractives in the . heartwood, and (b) thos e
with high extractives in .the sapwood . The former have high cellulose con tent in the sapwood ; the latter in the heartwood.,
3 . Acetic acid, by hydrolysis is higher in the sapwood t
heartwood of both softwoods and hardwoods .
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j Table 2,--Ratio of methoxyl to lignin on oven-dry (105° C .)weight of the
wood,
Lignin
Species
white as~z, (:
(
Blac'., hickory
;
pve ,, ,• , [
2
3
1
Red aldor . . . .
G
27 .39
28,36
• 4.70 •
: 5, 66 :
5 .36
5 .20
: 17.4
: 20,0 :
19 . 5
16 . 3
23.06
22,19
: 5,51 •
5 .69
5,66
6 .03
• 25.2 :
2Y.7
26. 4
25, 4
25 .4
2:3 .3 '
20.4
; 19.8
20 . 1
20,3)
12,4
: 27,39
2
,
1
: .21,67 : 22 . g 5 ,
5,5G
5 .79
1
2
25 . 97 • 25 .5
25 . 94
?h. r';
2 .29
5 .33
'
35, 01 . : 33, 06
3 31 : 32 .27
~. 3
99
3, 9
?1 , 07
: 1'4 . o :
11, 9
12, 6
; 4.16 :
4,6o
15.7
17. 6
4,4o :
'h, 6J,
:
15,1
16. 7
2 • 29.8
3 : 32 .111.
31,39 , 5.07 :
5,23 :
5,00
5.09
;
17.1 :
16.2
15. 9
15. 7
1
33,67
5 .7, !.)
'5,21
: 17, 1 ;
16 . 1+
; 2
Yellow cedar,
Incense cedar
CH-O x 100
; 26,95
•
23 .6
23,59
Eastern white nine : 1 • 26 .52 : 26.14
Southern white
cedar
;
No• •
•
.
: Sapwood _Heartwood ; Sapwood :Heartwood : Sapwood :Heartwoo d
Yellow poplar .,,, (
:Raid
CH3 0
1
+
:
: 29,03 :
:
. 73 :
j'4 .
26 .73
5 .26 ,
.
32 .42
;
26
:
;