A three gram oven-dried sample of holocellulose was placed in a 250 mL Erlenmeyer flask with a small watch glass cover. The flasks were placed into water bath that was maintained at 20 o C. The sample was then treated with 50 mL of percent NaOH and thoroughly mixed for one minute. After the specimen was allowed to react with the solution for 29 minutes, 50 mL of distilled water was added and mixed well for another minute. The reaction continued for five more minutes. The contents of the flask were filtered by aid of.
