xylan

[ zahy-lan ]
/ ˈzaɪ læn /

noun Chemistry.

the pentosan occurring in woody tissue that hydrolyzes to xylose: used as a source of furfural.

Origin of xylan

1890–95; < Greek xýl(on) wood + -an, variant of -ane

Words nearby xylan

xuzhou, xx, xxxx, xxy syndrome, xy recorder, xylan, xylem, xylem ray, xylene, xylic acid, xylidine

Example sentences from the Web for xylan

  • The pentosans, araban and xylan, occur normally in the stems and outer seed coats of many common plants.

    The Chemistry of Plant Life |Roscoe Wilfred Thatcher

British Dictionary definitions for xylan

xylan
/ (ˈzaɪlæn) /

noun

biochem a yellow polysaccharide consisting of xylose units: occurs in straw husks and other woody tissue