ESR SPECTRA OF COPPER COMPLEXES OF CELLULOSE

The ESR spectra of complexes of fibrous cotton cellulose and cupriammonia dihydroxide or cupriethylene diamine dihydroxide under various experimental conditions were determined. The spectra of both complexes with cotton cellulose were almost identical at −100 and 25°C. The spectrum of the complex of cupriethylene diamine dihydroxide with cellulose was stable to temperatures as high as 100°C. The sum of the linewidths of the hyperfine components of the spectra for each complex was about 180 gauss. Cotton fibers were combed and aligned with their axes (lengths) parallel to the magnetic field (B∥); after formation of either of the complexes with cellulose a minumum of hyperfine structure of components centered at H∥ was observed. A maximum of hyperfine structure of these components was observed when the complexed fibers were aligned with their axes perpendicular to the magnetic field (B⊥). The opposite was true of components centered at H⊥. For a complex of cupriethylene diamine dihydroxide and cellulose at 25°C. and at high pH the g∥ was 2.2127 and the g∥ was 2.0476. It was suggested that the alignment of most of the complex was its axis of symmetry at a maximum angle to the axes of the cotton fiber, when the axes of the fibers were in the parallel alignment with the magnetic field. At high pH these observations were even more marked. When ramie was used with cupriethylene diamine dihydroxide at high pH, the contribution of components centered at H∥ to the spectra was zero. Spectra for the copper compounds alone and complexed with cellobiose are also reported. Copyright © 1968 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.