| Abstract: | A soluble monomer methyl acrylate (MA)] and an insoluble monomer butyl methacrylate (BMA)] were grafted onto cellulose by three types of ceric salts under both oxygen-free conditions and in the presence of oxygen. For comparison, Ce(IV) consumption during cellulose oxidation was also determined under similar reaction conditions. Slightly more Ce(IV) was consumed during cellulose oxidation in the presence of oxygen. During graft copolymerization of MA under oxygen-free conditions, the consumption of Ce(IV) was much lower than during cellulose oxidation regardless of the type of ceric salt employed. The opposite was observed in the presence of oxygen: much more Ce(IV) was consumed during grafting than during cellulose oxidation. The consumption of Ce(IV) in the graft copolymerization of BMA by ceric sulfate was nearly independent of reaction conditions and it was approximately the same as in cellulose oxidation. In the reaction initiated by ceric ammonium nitrate under oxygen-free conditions, less Ce(IV) was once again used up during grafting than during cellulose oxidation. However, the difference was much smaller than in the case of MA. |
