Cellulose
Celulosa
- Date
- 1838 · confidence high
- Place
- Paris, France
- Credited to
- Anselme Payen
- Field
- Matter & energy
What was discovered
French chemist Anselme Payen isolated the fibrous substance that forms plant cell walls, named it cellulose and determined its chemical formula, identifying it as the most abundant organic compound in the biosphere.
Payen had been a professor at the École Centrale in Paris since 1835; in 1838 he presented his analysis of cellulose to the French Academy of Sciences.
What it led to
- Chemistry of polysaccharides and macromolecules
- The modern pulp and paper industry
- Cellulose-derived artificial fibres and plastics