Trimethylsilyl cellulose (TMSC) has been found to melt at 320–340°C in the absence of oxygen. When TMSC is prepared from chemical cellulose, using hexamethyldisilazane and a catalytic amount of chlorotrimethylsilane/pyridine in dimethylformamide, a thermoplastic material is obtained which may be melt spun into a fiber. This fiber, when treated with mild aqueous acid, yields regenerated cellulose plus hexamethyldisiloxane. The hexamethyldisiloxane can be converted back to hexamethyldisilazane by known chemistry. The fiber properties of the regenerated cellulose were found to be comparable to commercially available rayons. X‐Ray diffraction analyses of the cellulose suggest formation of an unusual polymorphic form.

SynopsisWood pulps highly reactive in both high-and low-catalyst cellulose acetate processes can be prepared by mercerization and then treatment with alkylene oxides; only trace levels of substitution are required. The fiber inactivating effects of mercerization after drying are overcome, and several acetate properties are improved by this process. The reactivity characteristics cannot he duplicated by similar modifications of nonmercerized fibers; in low catalyst processes such pulps actually show reduced reactivity.