ACTIVE INTERMEDIATE REACTION MECHANISM FOR NITROCELLULOSE PRODUCTION

Abstract

One of the most widely applied cellulose derivative products in industry is nitrocellulose which was produced through a nitration reaction between cellulose and nitric acid. In this research, the determination of the active intermediate reaction mechanism for nitrocellulose production was investigated. Four active intermediate mechanism models were used to predict the nitrocellulose formation reaction. Based on the results, it was found that models 3 and 4 which were active intermediate models that did not consider the effect of the sulfuric acid catalyst in the nitration reaction with irreversible nitration reaction. NO₂⁺ ion was an active intermediate compound which had an important role in producing nitrocellulose. Sulfuric acid in the nitration reaction used to break down nitric acid into NO₂⁺ ions without affecting the cellulose nitration process.