Mechanism of the radiolytic transformations of cellulose 1. Formation and transformation of radicals

The formation (77K) and transformation (300K) of radicals in celluloses with various degrees of crystallinity under -radiation have been studied by the ESR method. The radical products of the low-temperature -radiolysis of cellulose formed in the polymer chain are macroradicals the unshared electrons of which are localized on C₍₁₎ C₍₄₎, O_(O), and C₍₅₎. With a rise in the temperature to 300K they undergo substantial changes, which shows the dominating role of secondary reactions of macroradicals in the radiation-chemical transformation of cellulose.A. S. Sadykov Institute of Organic Chemistry, Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Tashkent, fax (3712) 62 70 71. Translated from Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 4, pp. 587–595, July–August, 1996. Original article submitted February 26, 1996.