Broadline proton magnetic resonance study of cellulose,pectin, and bean cell walls

We have used broadline proton magnetic resonance to study molecular motion in cellulose, a sodium pectate solution, a calcium pectate gel, and isolated bean cell walls. All samples were prepared in D₂O to minimize the contribution of water to the observed signals. For each sample, a free induction decay was obtained, and the second moment, spin-lattice relaxation, and dipolar relaxation were measured. Our results show that the large majority of protons in cellulose are immobile. Rigid and mobile domains were also observed in the pectate samples. We have shown that gelation induces large-scale changes in the free induction decay, the second moment, and the relaxation behavior of the pectate. As with the other samples, rigid and more mobile domains were found in bean cell walls. The fraction in the rigid domains is much larger than the fraction of cellulose in the sample, suggesting that the noncellulosic wall components are also organized into rigid and mobile domains.