The weight percentage gain (WPG) and the acetyl group content of wood due to acetylation with acetic anhydride have been analyzed by means of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and near-infrared spectroscopy (NIR). Band height ratios (BHR) (1240/1030 (1230/1030) and 1745/1030 (1740/1030)) of the bands at 1745 (1740), 1240 (1230), and 1030 cm-1 were calculated from FTIR-KBr and FTIR-ATR (attenuated total reflection) spectra. The good linear correlation with a coefficient of determination of about 0.94 over a range from 0 to 27% WPG existing between BHRs and WPG and acetyl group content, respectively, requires only a few samples to calibrate FTIR. Partial least-squares regression models based on second derivatives of the NIR spectra in the wavenumber range from 6080 to 5760 cm-1 resulted in a R2 value of 0.99, number of PLS components (rank) between 3 and 5, root-mean-square error of cross-validation between 0.6 and 0.79%, and a residual prediction deviation up to 10. Although a wide range of input parameters (i.e., various wood species and different procedures of acetylation) was used, highly satisfactory results were obtained. Both FTIR and NIR spectroscopic means fulfill the need for determining the WPG and the acetyl content of acetylated wood. By reason of its additional potential for on-line process control, the NIR method may even outperform the FTIR method.

Wood is an important and widely used renewable resource. due to the high specific strength to weight ratio, it is often preferred as a building and engineering material. 1 unfortunately, if exposed to moisture, it has some disadvantages, such as swelling and shrinking, biodegradability and photosensitivity. Modifying the basic chemistry of the cell wall polymers clearly decreases these disadvantages and could, therefore, help to increase the versatility of woods. esterification of wood hydroxyl groups in hemicelluloses, lignin and cellulose by acetic anhydride leads to the replacement of the hydroxyl groups by acetyl groups and the formation of acetic acid as a byproduct. 2-10 When wood is treated with acetic anhydride, nucleophilic substitution replaces hydroxyl groups of lignin, hemicelluloses and cellulose with acetyl groups and releases acetic acid as a side product.

Spruce and birch earlywood was acetylated to different weight percent gains using three different acetylation procedures. The absorbance spectra of secondary cell wall and compound cell corner middle lamella were determined by means of UV microscopy. Analysis of the spectra showed that the characteristic lignin absorbance peak in the UV spectrum of wood around 280 nm shifted to shorter wavelengths in acetylated samples. A distinct relationship between achieved weight percent gains after acetylation and observed spectral shifts could be established revealing a certain potential to measure acetylation on a cellular level by means of UV microscopy.

The aim of this work was to monitor the hardening behavior of two different ureaformaldehyde (UF) resins and to investigate the possible catalytic effect of cold water extractives of different wood species on the hardening characteristic. A pure UF resin and a melamine-modified UF resin were used for this investigation. For the experiments, ammonium chloride, ammonium sulphate, acetic acid and oxalic acid at different addition levels were used as hardeners. The gel times determined at three temperatures, the pH drop of the resins after the hardener addition, the buffering behavior and changes in the complex viscosity η * with time, as well as the development of the bond strength were chosen as parameters for characterizing the systems both with and without wood extractives. As expected, the buffering capacity of the melamine fortified resin was found to be much greater than for the pure UF resin. The gel times of the investigated resins were strongly dependent on the applied temperature, decreasing steeply at higher temperatures. Based on these data the apparent activation energies for various hardener additions have been calculated. The complex viscosity and the development of the internal bond strength indicated that cold water wood extractives had little or no effect on the curing progress of the resins.