Cellulose is a polymer made up of many glucose molecules. Cellulose is a polysaccharide. A polysaccharide a carbohydrate that can be decomposed by hydrolysis into two or more molecules of monosaccharides. Hydrolysis is a chemical reaction during which molecules of water (H2O) are split into hydrogen cations (H+, conventionally referred to as protons) and hydroxide anions (OH−) in the process of a chemical mechanism.