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Chemistry Forums for Students => Organic Chemistry Forum => Topic started by: P-man on November 04, 2006, 04:24:17 PM

Title: Wood
Post by: P-man on November 04, 2006, 04:24:17 PM: What makes different wood types different? Is it the chemical composition or is it something different?
Title: Re: Wood
Post by: enahs on November 05, 2006, 12:10:42 AM: http://www.treesearch.fs.fed.us/pubs/22050
Title: Re: Wood
Post by: P-man on November 05, 2006, 03:25:47 PM: Interesting, but not exactly what I was looking for. What makes spruce different from cedar? Is it chemical composition? I have recently found out that the answer is in the genes. Trees have DNA?
Title: Re: Wood
Post by: Yggdrasil on November 05, 2006, 06:34:40 PM: All living things store genetic information as DNA. But the DNA just dictates instructions to build proteins. Saying that different species of trees differ in their DNA gives a cursory answer to the quesiton, but it does not address the chemical issue of what compounds give different types of wood their different properties. Furthermore, saying that the difference is in the DNA isn't too useful of an answer anyway, since AFAIK only one species of tree has had its genome sequenced.
Title: Re: Wood
Post by: P-man on November 06, 2006, 09:59:14 PM: I see. I always forget to think of plants as living things. Stuck in inorganic chemistry for too long...

Thank you for the explanation, that question had been trailing around in my brain for a while.
Title: Re: Wood
Post by: Borek on November 07, 2006, 03:38:01 AM: Quote from: P-man on November 06, 2006, 09:59:14 PM
I see. I always forget to think of plants as living things. Stuck in inorganic chemistry for too long...

Two months?
Title: Re: Wood
Post by: P-man on November 11, 2006, 07:17:49 PM: Ha, I see what you mean. No, I meant I haven;t bothered to study anything else on my free time except inorganic chemistry.