Cellulose ethers aqueous solutions

Properties. Hydroxypropylcellulose [9004-64-2] (HPC) is a thermoplastic, nonionic cellulose ether that is soluble in water and in many organic solvents. HPC combines organic solvent solubiUty, thermoplasticity, and surface activity with the aqueous thickening and stabilising properties characteristic of other water-soluble ceUulosic polymers described herein. Like the methylceUuloses, HPC exhibits a low critical solution temperature in water. 

Of somewhat greater technical interest are the addition compounds and the cellulose esters and ethers. Of the apparent addition compounds the most important is alkali cellulose produced by steeping cellulose in caustic soda and considered to be of general form (CgHioOs), (NaOH) ) rather than a sodium alcoholate compound. Alkali cellulose is a particularly important starting point in the manufacture of cellulose ethers. The ability of aqueous cuprammonium hydroxide solutions to dissolve cellulose appears to be dependent on addition compound formation. 

Fluidized aqueous suspensions of 15% by weight or more of hydroxyethyl-cellulose, hydrophobically modified cellulose ether, hydrophobically modified hydroxyethylcellulose, methylcellulose, hydroxypropylmethylcellulose, and polyethylene oxide are prepared by adding the polymer to a concentrated sodium formate solution containing xanthan gum as a stabilizer [278]. The xanthan gum is dissolved in water before sodium formate is added. Then the polymer is added to the solution to form a fluid suspension of the polymers. The polymer suspension can serve as an aqueous concentrate for further use. 

Adsorption of Cellulose Ethers from Moderately Saline Aqueous Solutions... 

Nonionic cellulose ethers, hydroxyethyl(HE) and hydroxypropy1 (HP) cellulose, of variable molar substitution (M.S.) levels, were adsorbed on peptized sodium montmorillonite surfaces from fresh and saline (NaCl) aqueous solutions. The amounts adsorbed for 2 M.S. HEC and HPC and 4 M.S. HEC were insensitive to electrolyte concentration the 4 M.S. 

Figure 4 Adsorption (g/g) dependence of nonionic cellulose ethers (2500 ppm) on salinity (N, NaCl) of aqueous solution.

Figure 9 Adsorption (rag/g) dependence of nonionic cellulose ethers (2500 ppm) on salinity (N, NaCl) of aqueous solution. Substrate Berea sand (85 wt.%) blended with montraorillonite (15 wt.%). W-SP symbols ...

Surface pressure(mN/m) dependence on time hrs.) of aqueous cellulose ether (both M = 5 10 ) solutions. O 1000 ppm hydroxyethyY cellulose (HEC) 0,25Oppm hydroxypropyl methyl cell-ulose(HPMC) A, 250ppm HPMC, lOOOppm HEC. 

A proven solution to the binder problem is to use water insoluble organic polymer binders instead of clay. For example cellulose acetates and cellulose ethers binders are successfully employed to make commercial zeolitic adsorbents for sugar separation in aqueous solutions [154, 205, 218-223, 225-226, 231-232, 238]. This technique allows the use of zeoHte adsorbents in aqueous separation processes. 

Figure 8. Experimental data on the effect of (a) Taft s steric parameter for ethers and (b) modified Small s number for hydrocarbons on their reverse osmosis separations in systems involving dilute aqueous solutions and cellulose acetate membranes...

Strong caustic solutions penetrate the crystal lattice of alpha cellulose and produce an alkoxide called alkali, or soda, cellulose. Mercerized cotton is produced by aqueous extraction of the sodium hydroxide from alkali cellulose fibers. Cellulose ethers and cellulose xanthate are produced by reactions of alkyl halides or carbon disulfide, respectively, with the alkali cellulose. 

The phase transfer catalyzed alkylation reaction of dodecyl phenyl glycidyl ether (DPGE) with hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) was studied as a mechanistic model for the general PTC reaction with cellulose ethers. In this way, the most effective phase transfer catalysts and optimum reaction concentrations could be identified. As a model cellulose ether, CELLOSIZE HEC11 was chosen, and the phase transfer catalysts chosen for evaluation were aqueous solutions of choline hydroxide, tetramethyl-, tetrabutyl-, tetrahexyl-, and benzyltrimethylammonium hydroxides. The molar A/HEC ratio (molar ratio of alkali to HEC) used was 0.50, the diluent to HEC (D/HEC) weight ratio was 7.4, and the reaction diluent was aqueous /-butyl alcohol. Because some of the quaternary ammonium hydroxide charges would be accompanied by large additions of water, the initial water content of the diluent was adjusted so that the final diluent composition would be about 14.4% water in /-butyl alcohol. The results of these experiments are summarized in Table 2. 

Initial preparative work with oxynitrilases in neutral aqueous solution [517, 518] was hampered by the fact that under these reaction conditions the enzymatic addition has to compete with a spontaneous chemical reaction which limits enantioselectivity. Major improvements in optical purity of cyanohydrins were achieved by conducting the addition under acidic conditions to suppress the uncatalyzed side reaction [519], or by switching to a water immiscible organic solvent as the reaction medium [520], preferably diisopropyl ether. For the latter case, the enzymes are readily immobilized by physical adsorption onto cellulose. A continuous process has been developed for chiral cyanohydrin synthesis using an enzyme membrane reactor [61]. Acetone cyanhydrin can replace the highly toxic hydrocyanic acid as the cyanide source [521], Inexpensive defatted almond meal has been found to be a convenient substitute for the purified (R)-oxynitrilase without sacrificing enantioselectivity [522-524], Similarly, lyophilized and powered Sorghum bicolor shoots have been successfully tested as an alternative source for the purified (S)-oxynitrilase [525],... 

A plot of the temperatures required for clouding versus surfactant concentration typically exhibits a minimum in the case of nonionic surfactants (or a maximum in the case of zwitterionics) in its coexistence curve, with the temperature and surfactant concentration at which the minimum (or maximum) occurs being referred to as the critical temperature and concentration, respectively. This type of behavior is also exhibited by other nonionic surfactants, that is, nonionic polymers, // - a I k y I s u I Any lalcoh o I s, hydroxymethyl or ethyl celluloses, dimethylalkylphosphine oxides, or, most commonly, alkyl (or aryl) polyoxyethylene ethers. Likewise, certain zwitterionic surfactant solutions can also exhibit critical behavior in which an upper rather than a lower consolute boundary is present. Previously, metal ions (in the form of metal chelate complexes) were extracted and enriched from aqueous media using such a cloud point extraction approach with nonionic surfactants. Extraction efficiencies in excess of 98% for such metal ion extraction techniques were achieved with enrichment factors in the range of 45-200. In addition to metal ion enrichments, this type of micellar cloud point extraction approach has been reported to be useful for the separation of hydrophobic from hydrophilic proteins, both originally present in an aqueous solution, and also for the preconcentration of the former type of proteins. 

TLC was carried out on various types of plates silica gel, silanized silica gel, cellulose and alumina, as well as in several different solvent systems benzene, chloroform, cyclohexane, benzene/acetone (90 10), cyclohexane/ethyl acetate (95 5), cyclo-hexane/acetone/triethylamine (70 25 5), hexane/benzene (60 40) and hexane/ether (80 20). Spots were either visualized by ultraviolet or developed by pulverization of a 1% blue B salt aqueous solution. 

Methylcellulose occurs as a white, fibrous powder or granules. It is the methyl ether of cellulose. It is soluble in water and in a limited number of organic solvent systems. Aqueous solutions of Methylcellulose are surface active, form films upon drying, and undergo a reversible transformation from sol to gel upon heating and cooling, respectively. 

In this book, he emphasized the importance of the microscopic and the submicroscopic structure of fibrous high polymers. The reactions of cellulose with water, aqueous alkalis, organic bases, ammonia, and strong salt solutions were all stressed. Special attention was given to various types of cellulose esters, to cellulose xanthate, and to the cellulose ethers. The oxidation of cellulose under a variety of conditions was described, as were the hydrolysis reactions. The latter included discussions on reversion and on the kinetics of acid hydrolysis. It is interesting to note that Heuser, who earlier had criticized the terms hydrocellulose and oxycellulose, and had... 

Another category of durable hand builders are formaldehyde-containing thermosetting polymers. These products are usually supplied as dispersions or aqueous solutions of precondensates of urea or melamine with formaldehyde, for example di-methylol urea or di- to hexa-methylol melamine and their methyl ethers. The thermosetting polymers are comparatively inexpensive and provide fabrics with stiffness and resilience. However, they have a tendency to reduce abrasion resistance, yellow after exposure to heat, and release formaldehyde. Melamine-based hand builders are more highly crosslinked than urea-based products and are accordingly more durable. Butylated urea condensates are especially useful for rayon fabrics (see also Chapter 5 Easy-care and durable press finishes of cellulosics). 

Other Vinyl Derivatives. PVP is a nonionic surfactant used in 3% to 5% concentrations to increase viscosity of solutions. Although it exhibits surface-active properties similar to the cellulose ethers, PVP appears to have less abiUty to lower the interfacial tension at a water-oil interface. Nevertheless, in contrast to the cellulose ethers, PVP appears capable of forming hydrophilic coatings in the form of adsorbed layers. Because conjunctival mucin is believed to interact with the ocular surfece to form an adsorbing surface for aqueous tears, the formation by artificial means of a hydrophilic layer that would mimic conjimctival mucin (mucomimetic) appears to be clinically desirable. Both mucin- and aqueous-deficient dry eyes would benefit, because the wetting ability of the corneal surfece would be enhanced. 

Examples of aqueous coating solutions include water-soluble low molecular weight cellulose ethers, emulsion polymerization latexes of polymethacrylates, and dispersions of water-insoluble polymers such as ethyl-cellulose in the form of pseudolatex. These solvent-free coating solutions provide a range of different coatings... 

Qualification of different cellulose sources for the various end use applications is determined on the basis of purity, molecular size, and a-cellulose content, a-cellulose refers to the portion of cellulose insoluble in 18% aqueous sodium hydroxide. Whereas the content of noncellulosic polysaccharides has proven to be a hindrance to the clarity of cellulose esters (determined as haze in otherwise clear films), a-cellulose content is important for the spinnability of cellulose solutions into regenerated fibers, and for viscosity characteristics of cellulose ethers. Molecular weights play an important role in various cellulose ethers. 

The formation of cellulose ethers aims, in general, at permanent and irrevocable disruption of crystallinity, and at controlling viscosity properties of aqueous solutions (i. e., rheology modification). Since stiffening water and gel formation are primary targets for many natural polysaccharides (in gums as well as body fluids), cellulose ethers aim to achieve solutions with... 

Solubility practically insoluble in water, alcohols, and chlorinated and nonchlorinated hydrocarbons. Soluble in a number of ketones, esters, ether alcohols, cyclic ethers, and in certain solvent mixtures. It can be soluble in certain buffered aqueous solutions as low as pH 6.0. Cellulose acetate phthalate has a solubility of <10% w/w in a wide range of solvents and solvent mixtures see Table II and Table III. 

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