Catalytic actions of alkaline salts in reactions between 1,2,3,4-butanetetracarboxylic acid and cellulose: I. Anhydride formation

1,2,3,4-Butanetetracarboxylic acid (BTCA) reacts with cellulose in two steps: anhydride formation of adjacent carboxyl groups in BTCA and esterification of anhydride with cellulose, which are generally catalyzed by alkaline salts including sodium hypophosphite. The role of the salts in the reactions has been unclear. As an effort in fully understanding the catalytic effects of the salts, reaction mechanisms of alkaline metal ions and acid anions of the salts were investigated in details in the reactions. In this research, functions of alkaline metal ions on the formation of anhydride were studied. Results indicated that the existence of lithium, sodium or potassium promoted the formation of anhydride, and potassium ion was the most efficient one among these three ions. Besides, the reactions of a BTCA molecule with cellulose undergo a step-by-step process, i.e. formation of one anhydride and esterification of the anhydride with cellulose, and then formation of another anhydride and esterification of it to establish cross-linking by the BTCA.