A CONTRIBUTION TO THE CHEMISTRY OF UNSTABILIZED CELLULOSE NITRATE

Cotton linters and wood cellulose were nitrated in parallel experiments with a series of mixed acids and the products examined for nitrogen and sulphate content. A higher degree of nitration was obtained with the cotton cellulose, and the sulphate content of the nitrated cotton increased steadily with increasing concentration of sulphuric acid in the nitration medium while the sulphate content of the wood cellulose passed through a maximum value which depended on the degree of nitration. The sulphate content of the cotton cellulose nitrates was higher than that of the wood cellulose nitrates when the nitrations were performed under similar conditions.