Reactivity of fibrous cellulose

By applying hydrochloric acid solution at different temperatures to various fibrous cellulose samples and following the per cent loss in weight with time, hydrolysis‐time curves have been obtained. These plots have been resolved into a straight line and a curve, representing the rate of removal of difficultly and easily removable components, respectively. Under the experimental conditions applied, the ratedetermining reaction in the removal of the difficultly accessible components from the fibers is essentially a kinetically zero‐order reaction. This was borne out by the results of hydrolyses of hydrocellulose preparations. Within the experimental range the temperature coefficient of this rate is independent of the representative fibrous materials and is relatively high, corresponding to an energy of activation of 28‐29 kcal./mol. The easily and difficultly accessible regions, assessed by resolving the rate plots, are different with the same fibers, depending on the experimental conditions. The reactivity of both the easily and difficultly hydrolyzable constituents varies with different cellulose fibers. The complex nature of the kinetics of removal (hydrolysis) of the easily accessible components is discussed.