ABSTRACT
This chapter deals mainly with the use of chemical methods, combined with gas-liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (GLC-MS), for determination of different substituents, the degree of substitution, and the distribution of the substituents in cellulose. The cellulose derivatives have been divided into three groups depending on their chemical structures: esters, ethers, and other compounds. Cellulose acetate is the most important organic ester of cellulose due to its extensive applications in fibers, plastics, and coatings. It is manufactured by reacting cellulose with acetic anhydride, utilizing acetic acid as the solvent, and sulfuric acid as a catalyst. Phenylcarbamoyl groups, formed by reacting the hydroxyl groups with phenylisocyanate under conditions where the acetyl groups are stable and do not migrate, were the first protective groups to be employed. Cellulose nitrate is the most important inorganic ester of cellulose.
