Cellulose acetate production reactions

Zinc chloride is a Lewis acid catalyst that promotes cellulose esterification. However, because of the large quantities required, this type of catalyst would be uneconomical for commercial use. Other compounds such as titanium alkoxides, eg, tetrabutoxytitanium (80), sulfate salts containing cadmium, aluminum, and ammonium ions (81), sulfamic acid, and ammonium sulfate (82) have been reported as catalysts for cellulose acetate production. In general, they require reaction temperatures above 50°C for complete esterification. Relatively small amounts (<0.5%) of sulfuric acid combined with phosphoric acid (83), sulfonic acids, eg, methanesulfonic, or alkyl phosphites (84) have been reported as good acetylation catalysts, especially at reaction temperatures above 90°C. 

Although intensive scientific work has been devoted to strategies for the synthesis of cellulose organic esters, especially with regard to homogeneous reaction conditions and in view of the advent of ionic liquids as reaction media [36], the principles employed for cellulose acetate production have remained the same for decades. Nowadays, only the acetic acid process , that is, the use of acetic acid as the solvent and acetic acid anhydride as reactant, in combination with sulfuric acid as the catalyst, is of industrial relevance [37]. 

About half of the wodd production comes from methanol carbonylation and about one-third from acetaldehyde oxidation. Another tenth of the wodd capacity can be attributed to butane—naphtha Hquid-phase oxidation. Appreciable quantities of acetic acid are recovered from reactions involving peracetic acid. Precise statistics on acetic acid production are compHcated by recycling of acid from cellulose acetate and poly(vinyl alcohol) production. Acetic acid that is by-product from peracetic acid [79-21-0] is normally designated as virgin acid, yet acid from hydrolysis of cellulose acetate or poly(vinyl acetate) is designated recycle acid. Indeterrninate quantities of acetic acid are coproduced with acetic anhydride from coal-based carbon monoxide and unknown amounts are bartered or exchanged between corporations as a device to lessen transport costs. 

By-product acetic acid is obtained chiefly from partial hydrolysis of cellulose acetate [9004-35-7]. Lesser amounts are obtained through the reaction of acetic anhydride and cellulose. Acetylation of saHcyHc acid [69-72-7] produces one mole of acetic acid per mole of product and the oxidation of allyl alcohol using peracetic acid to yield glycerol furnishes by-product acid, but the net yield is low. 

Cellulose acetate [9004-35-7], prepared by reaction of cellulose with acetic anhydride, acetic acid, and sulfuric acid, is spun into acetate rayon fibers by dissolving it in acetone and spinning the solution into a column of warm air that evaporates the acetone. Cellulose acetate is also shaped into a variety of plastic products, and its solutions are used as coating dopes. Cellulose acetate butyrate [9004-36-8], made from cellulose, acetic anhydride, and butyric anhydride in the presence of sulfuric acid, is a shock-resistant plastic. 

Solution Process. With the exception of fibrous triacetate, practically all cellulose acetate is manufactured by a solution process using sulfuric acid catalyst with acetic anhydride in an acetic acid solvent. An excellent description of this process is given (85). In the process (Fig. 8), cellulose (ca 400 kg) is treated with ca 1200 kg acetic anhydride in 1600 kg acetic acid solvent and 28—40 kg sulfuric acid (7—10% based on cellulose) as catalyst. During the exothermic reaction, the temperature is controlled at 40—45°C to minimize cellulose degradation. After the reaction solution becomes clear and fiber-free and the desired viscosity has been achieved, sufficient aqueous acetic acid (60—70% acid) is added to destroy the excess anhydride and provide 10—15% free water for hydrolysis. At this point, the sulfuric acid catalyst may be partially neutralized with calcium, magnesium, or sodium salts for better control of product molecular weight. 

Recent Developments. A considerable amount of cellulose acetate is manufactured by the batch process, as described previously. In order to reduce production costs, efforts have been made to develop a continuous process that includes continuous activation, acetylation, hydrolysis, and precipitation. In this process, the reaction mixture, ie, cellulose, anhydride, catalyst, and solvent, pass continuously through a number of successive reaction zones, each of which is agitated (92,93). In a similar process, the reaction mass is passed through tubular zones in which the mixture is forced through screens of successively small openings to homogenize the mixture effectively (94). Other similar methods for continuous acetylation of cellulose have been described (95,96). 

However, this method is appHed only when esterification cannot be effected by the usual acid—alcohol reaction because of the higher cost of the anhydrides. The production of cellulose acetate (see Fibers, cellulose esters), phenyl acetate (used in acetaminophen production), and aspirin (acetylsahcyhc acid) (see Salicylic acid) are examples of the large-scale use of acetic anhydride. The speed of acylation is greatiy increased by the use of catalysts (68) such as sulfuric acid, perchloric acid, trifluoroacetic acid, phosphoms pentoxide, 2inc chloride, ferric chloride, sodium acetate, and tertiary amines, eg, 4-dimethylaminopyridine. 

The earliest preparation of cellulose acetate is credited to Schiitzenberger in 1865. The method used was to heat the cotton with acetic anhydride in sealed tubes at 130-140°C. The severe reaction conditions led to a white amorphous polymer but the product would have been severely degraded and the process difficult to control. Subsequent studies made by Liebermann, Francimont, Miles, the Bayer Company and by other workers led to techniques for controlled acetylation under less severe conditions. 

Some part of the cellulose fraction is redirected to make cellulose derivatives, such as cellulose acetate, methyl and ethyl cellulose, carboxymethyl cellulose, hydroxyethyl cellulose, and hydroxypropyl cellulose. These derivatives find multiple applications, for instance, as additives in current products (e.g., paints, lacquers) of chemical industry. Typically, the preparation of cellulose derivatives takes place as a two-phase reaction cellulose is pretreated, for example, with alkali, and a reagent is added to get the substitution. Usually no catalyst is needed [5]. 

Dyes for cellulose acetate are relatively simple molecules, typified by Cl Disperse Red 15 (6.39 X = OH), Cl Disperse Violet 4 (6.39 X = NHCH3) and Cl Disperse Blue 3 (6.40), the last-named being manufactured from leucoquinizarin and the appropriate amines. The unsymmetrically substituted product inevitably contains significant amounts of the related symmetrical compounds. The widely used Cl Disperse Blue 3 is known to cause skin sensitisation when on nylon [17] and can also provoke an allergic reaction [18]. Bright red 2-alkoxy-l-amino-4-hydroxyanthraquinones, such as Cl Disperse Red 4 (6.41), can be obtained from l-amino-2,4-dibromoanthraquinone by hydrolysis to give l-amino-2-bromo-4-hydroxyanthraquinone (Cl Disperse Violet 17), which is then condensed with the appropriate alcohol. 

Reaction occurs differently since there are two types of hydroxyl groups (as noted earlier), the two ring hydroxyls and the methylene hydroxyl. In the typical formation of esters, such as cellulose acetate, the ring hydroxyl groups are acetylated initially (structure 9.8) prior to the C-6 exocyclic hydroxyl. Under appropriate reaction conditions, reaction continues to almost completion with the esterification of all three hydroxyl groups (structure 9.9). In triacetate products, only small amounts (on the order of 1%) of the hydroxyls remain free, and of these generally about 80% are C-6 hydroxyl. 

Partially acetylated cellulose (i.e., cellulose with less than three ester groups per repeat unit) is produced by an indirect route. Direct synthesis yields an inhomogeneous product due to insolubility of cellulose in the reaction mixture. Some chains are completely acetylated while others may be completely unreacted. A partially acetylated product is usually produced by controlled hydrolysis of the triacetate. The triacetate is soluble in the reaction mixture and complete solubility ensures that the final product will be more homogeneous. Hydrolysis of the triacetate is carried out by controlled reversal of the esterification reaction by the addition of water or dilute acetic acid. 

Deters (14) vibromilled a blend of cellulose and cellulose triacetate. The acetic acid content of cellulose acetate decreased with grinding time (40 h) while that of the cellulose increased, suggesting the formation of a block or graft copolymer or of an esterification reaction by acetic acid developed by mechanical reaction. Baramboim (/5) dissolved separately in CO polystyrene, poly(methyl methacrylate), and poly(vinyl acetate). After mixing equal volumes of solutions of equivalent polymer concentration, the solvent was evaporated at 50° C under vacuum and the resultant product ball-milled. The examination of the ball-milled products showed the formation of free radicals which copolymerized. 

Direct Oxidation. Direct oxidation of petroleum hydrocarbons has been practiced on a small scale since 1926 methanol, formaldehyde, and acetaldehyde are produced. A much larger project (29) began operating in 1945. The main product of the latter operation is acetic acid, used for the manufacture of cellulose acetate rayon. The oxidation process consists of mixing air with a butane-propane mixture and passing the compressed mixture over a catalyst in a tubular reaction furnace. The product mixture includes acetaldehyde, formaldehyde, acetone, propyl and butyl alcohols, methyl ethyl ketone, and propylene oxide and glycols. The acetaldehyde is oxidized to acetic acid in a separate plant. Thus the products of this operation are the same as those (or their derivatives) produced by olefin hydration and other aliphatic syntheses. 

Acetic anhydride is produced by some of the acetate liber producers because cellulose acetate is the major end user for this chemical The anhydride is the product of reaction with keiene and acetic acid. Ketcne is made by the catalytic pyrolysis of either acetic acid or acetone. The manufacturer of acetate libers proceeds through a number of steps as delineated below. 

The complete hydrolysis of the soluble cellulose derivative required gradual addition of water and, preferably, acid. Water can act on cellulose acetate hydrogensulfate in three ways (a) saponification of sulfate groups, (b) saponification of acetate groups, and (c) hydrolysis of glycosidic bonds. Reaction (a) is most rapid and occurs under the mildest conditions. As Table II shows, the product is not any more water soluble (Entries 1-4). Under more severe conditions, the deacetylation (b) has proceeded to water-soluble products, the total amount of dissolved carbohydrates corresponding to theory (Entries 5-10). How-... 

Nitro Dyes. 2-Nitrodiphenylamines are readily obtained by condensation of derivatives of 2-nitrochlorobenzene 88-73-3] with suitable aromatic amines. Because of their accessibility and good lightfastness, these dyes became very important for dyeing cellulose acetate and, more recently, have gained a solid position as disperse dyes for polyester fibers. This is especially true for the reaction product of 1 mol of 3-nitro-4-chlorobenzenesulfonyl chloride [97-08-5] and 2 mol of aniline. An exhaustive review of the constitution and color of nitro dyes is given by Merian [40], The yellow nitroacridones may also be classified in this group. 

It is more convenient to substitute cellulose with partially substituted cellulose acetate (DS = 1). By this means, the main polymer is soluble in the lactone and the reaction is done in only one phase. The obtained products are more homogeneous and more resistant (Figure 5.27). 

Many cellulose esters, such as cellulose nitrate, cellulose acetate, and mixed esters of cellulose acetate butyrate, have found popularity in commercial scale production. Many new esters continue to appear in the market. Traditionally, esterification is conducted on a heterogeneous system (topo-chemical reaction) however, homogeneous systems employing mixed organic solvents have recently been developed. For example, Ikeda et al. [17] demonstrated that homogeneous esterification and acetalization of cellulose in LiCF DM AC can be achieved. 

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