The effect of N2O4 on the crystalline structure of cellulose

Depending on reaction conditions, the system cellulose–N₂O₄ may give two different unstable crystalline compounds, one being an ester (cellulose trinitrite), the second, an adduct of cellulose and HNO₃ (the Knecht compound). For these compounds, mechanisms of the formation of the crystalline phase as a result of topochemical reaction and self-organization are discussed. The different characteristics of structural transformations of the fiber under nitrosation and nitration are noted. The existence of polymorphic forms of the Knecht compound is suggested. These labile nitrogen-containing compounds make possible the regeneration of cellulose in its various modifications (cellulose I, II, IV, or amorphous cellulose) from the cellulose–N₂O₄ system. The formation of unstable compounds and their ability to crystallize in the reaction medium allows the passage from amorphous cellulose to its crystalline modifications II or IV under mild conditions. The causes of decrystallization of cellulose by N₂O₄ are established. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.