Reaction of formaldehyde with cellulose xanthate

Abstract Formaldehyde reacts reversibly with cellulose xanthate in aqueous acid to form a product having an absorption maximum at 280 mμ and an extinction coefficient of 11,600. The fraction of the original xanthate converted to the formaldehyde form is related to the formaldehyde concentration. The aqueous acid decomposition rate of the formaldehyde derivative is pseudo first‐order and is inversely proportional to the formaldehyde concentration. At high acidities the decomposition rate is independent of acid concentration, but the rate decreases with decreasing acidity in the pH range of 1–4. On the basis of the data obtained in these studies, the equilibrium constant for the formation of the formaldehyde derivative was found to be of the order of 10.4.8. The activation energy for the decomposition of the formaldehyde derivative is 18,600 cal./mole.