Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

How can I find out what chemical reactions occur during the decomposition of paper?

Hi Scienceheadache,
Welcome to the Ask an Expert forums. Paper is composed mostly of cellulose. To find more information about the reactions occurring during the decomposition of cellulose, I'd recommend trying a web search for "cellulose decomposition reactions" and similar search terms. You might also want to look up the term "cellulase".

Depending on the type of paper, there are also minor ingredients (to impart color, texture, structure etc.) that might undergo entirely different reactions.

What sort of experiment are you planning to do? There are a variety of possible reactions that can take place, depending on the conditions.

Looking forward to hearing more,
Chris

Hi Chris,

Thanks for the information. My experiment is going to be testing four types of paper to see which will decompose the fastest. Knowing that paper is made of mostly cellulose got me going in the right direction. I have a bunch of books and information on how paper is made that will help me complete my background research. Thanks for your help! Now I don't have such a "science headache".
-Scienceheadache

I'm glad it helped. That sounds like a very interesting experiment. You might also find some useful information by searching the web for "paper composting".
Please let us know how it goes, and whether you have any additional questions or problems. Even if you don't have any more questions, we always like to hear how the experiments turn out, so feel free to post!
Thanks,
Chris