CHARACTERIZATION OF NITROGENDIOXIDOXYCELL ULOSES BY MEANS OF ACID-HYDROLYTIC AND ENZYMATIC DEGRADATION

Acid-hydrolytic and enzymatic degradation experiments were carried out on cotton linters with carboxygroup contents of up to 2670 mmol/kg (D S = 0.43), which had been oxidized by gaseous nitrogen dioxide. The re sults lead to the conclusion that even the crystalline regions of cell ulose may be oxidized while their crystallinity is maintained. However , the oxidation does not occur uniformly in the crystalline regions, b ut is concentrated in the edge areas of the elementary fibrils. This s upports the theory, discussed in the literature, that the N2O4/water/c ellulose complex serves as an intermediate stage in the formation of t he carboxygroup.