Unconventional Cellulose Products Through Nucleophilic Displacement Reactions

Summary: The paper highlights the synthesis of unconventionally functionalized cellulose derivatives obtained by nucleophilic displacement (SN) reactions. The key intermediates, cellulose sulphonates, are discussed due to the fact that sulphonate groups play the major role as leaving group in SN reactions with the biopolymer. A short overview about “classical” SN reactions will be given. The main part of the review is focused on novel cellulose products in particular aminodeoxy cellulose derivatives showing monolayer formation, click chemistry with cellulose starting from deoxyazido (copper‐catalyzed Huisgen reaction) yielding products with methylcarboxylate‐, 2‐aniline‐, 3‐thiophene moieties, e.g., and new selectively dendronized cellulose based materials. Structure characterization and typical applications are briefly reviewed as well.