Acetylation of wood pulp

Claim 1

IN THE PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING CELLULOSE ACETATE FROM FORMED WOOD PULP WHICH IS DRIED AT TEMPERATURES WHICH RENDER UNTREATED PULP PARTIALLY UNREACTIVE TOWARD ACYLATION, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES APPLYING THE ACYLATING AGENT TO DRIED FORMED WOOD PULP WHICH CARRIES AT LEAST ON ITS SURFACE ABOUT 0.02% TO ABOUT 0.50% BY WEIGHT OF THE DRY PULP OF A WATER-SOLUBLE OPEN CHAIN POLYALKYLENE OXIDE CONTAINING A MULTIPLICITY OF ALKENOXY GROUPS; SAID CHAIN HAVING TERMINAL GROUPS, ONE OF SAID TERMINAL GROUPS BEING -H AND THE OTHER ONE OF THE CLASS CONSISTING OF ALKOXY HAVING MORE THAN 7 CARBON ATOMS, RS- IN WHICH R IS AN ALKYL WITH MORE THAN 7 CARBON ATOMS, R''O- WHERE R'' IS ALKARYL IN WHICH THERE IS AT LEAST ONE ALKYL GROUP WITH MORE THAN TWO CARBON ATOMS, AND R"O- WHERE R" IS ACYLARYL IN WHICH THERE IS AT LEAST ONE ACYL GROUP HAVING MORE THAN TWO CARBON ATOMS.