Modification of cellulose has been intensively studied to produce bio-based plastic from the viewpoint of green chemistry. Ionic liquids were known as good solvents for cellulose, and enable to easily modify cellulose in homogeneous condition. Recently, we heve reported acylation of cellulose with imidazolium acetate and isopropenylacetate, which is one of vinyl esters, efficiently provided desired cellulose esters showing high degree of substitution in homogenous and neutral condition. In this system, it was cleared that Imidazolium carboxylate worked as good solvent and catalyst for the acylation reaction of cellulose. However, commercially available vinyl esters are very limited and also difficult to prepare. In contrast, abundant variety of commercially available methyl esters are known, but they show low reactivity in transesterification with alcohols. In order to the low reactivity, strong base or metal catalysts were generally used for activator of methyl ester. In this study, we investigated modification of cellulose using methyl esters as abundant acyl donors in imidazolium carboxylates. As a result of optimization about the counter anion of ionic liquids and reaction temperature, the desired cellulose esters could be obtained.

Modification of cellulose with methyl ester through transesterification reaction in imidazolium carboxylates

255th National Meeting (2018)

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