FACILE METHOD FOR THE PREPARATION OF TRI-O-(ALKYL)CELLULOSE

A simple way to prepare tri-O-(alkyl) cellulose from cellulose acetate (CA) in dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) using the appropriate alkyl iodide and NaOH has been developed. In this procedure, the addition of a small amount of water to the DMSO solution improved the efficiency of etherification. The substitution pattern of (methyl)cellulose (MC) was investigated to determine the effect of added water on the relative reactivities of the glucose ring substituents. This etherification method can be applied to alkylate other polymers with acetate-functional groups that are soluble in DMSO.