Decrystallization of jute by cyanoethylation

The cyanoethylation of jute fiber was studied at different reaction conditions. Moisture regain decreased significantly on cyanoethylation. Introduction of 5–6% nitrogen content on the fiber minimized the moisture regain capacity to 2.8%. A further increase in the nitrogen content increased the moisture regain. The effect of cyanoethylation on infrared absorption was studied. The absorbance curves of OH and CH stretching frequencies are parabolic in nature, whereas β‐glycosidic and CH bending absorption curves are almost linear with an increase in the degree of substitution. The cellulosic transition was indicated by the lattice conversion ratio, which showed an increase along with the degree of cyanoethylation.