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🧪 Chemistry  ·  Polymers  ·  NEET & JEE

Cellulose cannot be digested by humans because:

Answer: Humans lack beta-glucosidase enzyme to break beta-1,4 glycosidic bonds.

  • A Humans lack beta-glucosidase enzyme to break beta-1,4 glycosidic bonds
  • B Cellulose is toxic to the human digestive lining
  • C Cellulose is completely insoluble in any aqueous or organic solvent
  • D Cellulose contains no carbon-hydrogen bonds capable of providing energy

Correct answer: A. Humans lack beta-glucosidase enzyme to break beta-1,4 glycosidic bonds

Explanation: Humans lack cellulase (beta-1,4-glucanase); ruminants have microbes that produce it to digest cellulose.

Addition vs Condensation PolymerisationAddition (e.g. polythene)n (CH₂=CH₂)-[-CH₂-CH₂-]ₙ-No atoms lost - monomers just join at the double bondCondensation (e.g. Nylon-6,6)HOOC-R-COOH + H₂N-R'-NH₂-[-CO-R-CO-NH-R'-NH-]ₙ-+ n H₂OA small molecule (water here) is eliminated at EVERY linking step

Addition polymerisation simply links monomers containing a double bond with nothing left over, while condensation polymerisation joins two different monomers through a reaction (often forming an ester or amide bond) that releases a small molecule like water at each step.

Concept context

Large molecules made of repeating monomer units. Covers addition and condensation polymerisation, natural and synthetic polymers (nylon, PVC, Bakelite, natural rubber), and their real-world industrial applications.

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