Single crystals of inulin

Lamellar crystals of inulin were grown by crystallizing sharp fractions of low molecular weight inulin from dilute aqueous ethanol solutions. The crystals were analyzed using three-dimensional electron diffraction and X-ray powder diagrams. Two crystalline polymorphs were observed, depending on the hydration conditions: a hydrated form which indexed on an orthorhombic unit cell, with space group P2(1)2(1)2(1) and with cell dimensions of a = 1.670 nm, b = 0.980 nm and c (chain axis) = 1.47 nm, together with a pseudo-hexagonal semi-hydrated form with unit cell parameters a = 1.670 nm, b = 0.965 nm and c (chain axis) = 1.44 nm. These parameters, together with the density data, indicate that inulin crystallizes along a pseudo-hexagonal six-fold symmetry with an advance per monomer of 0.24 nm. The difference between the hydrated and the semi-hydrated unit cells does not seem to correspond to any change in the conformation of inulin, but rather to a variation in water content.