Accessibility and reactivity of cellulose to solvents and reagents are key factors on the production of cellulose derivatives. Different parameters such as, crystallinity, microfibril aggregation, size of pores, and solubility of cellulose influence on their reactivity. Several indirect methods, such as fiber saturation point (FSP), water retention value (WRV) and surface area have been developed to characterize the reactivity of cellulosic samples. Here we report on using oxidation with 4-acetamido-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxo-piperidinium (4-AcNH-TEMPO+) cation as a probe reaction to quantify the accessible methylhydroxyl group of cellulose. In fact, 4-AcNH-TEMPO+ easily oxidized hydroxymethyl groups of cellulose into carboxylate groups. An iodometric titration method was introduced to calculate the concentration of the oxoammonium component during oxidation reaction. Finally the 4-AcNH-TEMPO+ reactivity was correlated with several pulp characteristics, including WRV, FSP, surface area, chemical composition, crystallinity.

Studying the reactivity of cellulose by oxidation with 4-acetamido-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxo-piperidinium cation

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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