Partially Carboxymethylated Cotton as an Intermediate for Further Chemical Modification

Abstract

Cotton can be etherified by treatment with chloroacetic acid and sodium hydroxide solution. The product, a partially carboxymethylated cotton, which retains the original fibrous nature of the cotton, has a number of properties valuable for textile and other uses. In addition, the etherified cotton bears two reactive functional groups—hydroxyl and carboxyl—capable of further chemical modification. The rate and extent of many reactions with the etherified cotton are greater than with native cotton similarly treated. Further modifications of this cotton derivative are discussed. Among these are salt formation for the preparation of bactericidal and fungistatic finishes, reactions for the introduction of cyanoethyl, carboxyethyl, and graft polyester groups, reaction with epoxy and aziridinyl compounds, and oxidation for the preparation of alkali-soluble textile products.