Epichlorohydrin–triethanolamine reaction in the preparation of quaternary cellulose anion exchangers

The reactions between cotton cellulose and a mixture of triethanolamine and epichlorohydrin in the presence of aqueous NaOH have been studied. It has been shown that cotton fabric pretreated with aqueous base and then reacted with a 3:1 mole ratio of epichlorohydrin to triethanolamine forms a strong base anion exchanger. Resultant properties differed from those of the product made by the conventional method of preparing ECTEOLA cellulose, a commercial product of the same reactants. Titration curves of the strong base cellulose exchangers were similar to that obtained with the product of the reaction between cotton and trimethylglycidylammonium chloride. Substitution of triethylamine for the triethanolamine also resulted in a quaternary base cellulose anion exchanger. A cyclic diquaternary salt, [2,5‐p‐dioxanylenebismethylene] bis[tris(2‐hydroxyethyl)ammonium chloride], has been isolated from the triethanolamine–epichlorohydrin mixture and a mechanism of the reaction has been proposed.