[FranzPattison]

I am wondering the theoretical procedure to convert glucose to cellulose.  In order to facilitate the 1-4 glycosidic linkages, I imagine I would need to perform a hydrolysis reaction?  It has been a couple years since ochem so I am rusty on the process needed to generate such a reaction.  Please help.  Thanks!

[Babcock_Hall]

What is your interest or application?  If you write a formal reaction, is water a reactant or a product?

[FranzPattison]

Hey, there's no actual application, ie: I don't actually plan on doing it, I'm just interested to know if it is actually possible and how it would be done.  I tried to draw out a reaction, but I honestly can't remember enough about organic chemistry to even know where to start.  Can you help?

[Babcock_Hall]

One way you could approach this is to treat carbon-1 on one molecule of glucose as a hemiacetal.  The reaction of the hydroxyl group on carbon-4 of a different molecule of glucose (the alcohol) with carbon-4 produces an acetal and water.  The bond between carbon 1 and carbon 4 is usually called a glycosidic bond, but glycosides are just a subclass of acetals.  Does that help?