ABSTRACT
This chapter defines chemical modification as any chemical reaction between some reactive part of a wood cell wall component and a simple single chemical reagent, with or without catalyst, that forms a covalent bond between the two components. It deals with the changes in physical properties of wood as a direct result of chemical modification of the cell wall and not as a result of the reaction conditions used to modify the wood. The chapter also deals with changes in the mechanical properties resulting from the chemical modification of solid wood. It is difficult to determine the mechanical changes in a composite made of chemically modified furnish because the properties of the adhesive and glue line influence the mechanical properties more than or as much as changes resulting from the chemical modification. The chapter discusses changes in gluability of chemically modified wood as well as some changes in mechanical properties of wood composites.
