48—a Review of the Literature Relating to the Interaction of Cellulose and Formaldehyde

The subject is introduced by a short note on the reactivity of formaldehyde, particularly with reference to the industrial treatment of cellulose with formaldehyde or its derivatives, and this is followed by a survey of the relevant literature dating from 1904 to 1956. The survey is arranged with appropriate sub-divisions under the following main headings: (i) interaction under substantially non-aqueous conditions, (ii) under wholly aqueous conditions, and (iii) under aqueous conditions followed by drying and baking, the last section representing most of the commercial processes. The inforrnation assembled in the survey is then summarized and discussed in relation to theoretical and practical aspects of (a) the reaction and (b) the products, and some observations are contributed on the question of cross-linkage and cyclic (internal) linkage. Seventy-four references to the literature are cited.