Comparisons and Characteristics of Slicewood Acetylation with Acetic Anhydride by Liquid Phase, Microwave, and Vapor Phase Reactions

Abstract

This study compared and characterized slicewood acetylation with acetic anhydride using conventional liquid phase, microwave, and vapor phase reactions. The results revealed that there were no significant differences in the flexural properties between the unmodified and acetylated slicewood, regardless of the reaction method used. Furthermore, findings concluded that the slicewood acetylated with a vapor phase reaction required less modifying agent to achieve high levels of weight percent gain (WPG). The correlations between the anti-swelling efficiency (ASE) and the WPG of the slicewood acetylated with a vapor phase reaction were higher than the conventional liquid phase and microwave reactions. The reactivity of the cellulose hydroxyl groups was sensitive to the C2 and C6 reactive sites for all three acetylation methods. However, the reactivity was more pronounced at the C2 position with a vapor phase reaction compared to the other two reactions. Nevertheless, slicewood acetylation with acetic anhydride was found to not have a significant influence on viscoelastic properties for any of the different reaction methods.