Process of hydrolyzing cyanoethylated cotton textiles with alkaline hydrogen peroxide and acidic hydrolysis

Claim 1

AS A PROCESS OF PRODUCING CARBOXYETHYL SUBSTITUTED CELLULOSE PRODUCTS HAVING A FIBROUS STRUCTURE FROM CYANOETHYLATED COTTON TEXTILE FIBERS CONTAINING A PLURALITY OF CYANOETHYL GROUPS AND FROM 3% TO 6% OF NITROGEN, BY WEIGHT, OF SAID FIBERS, THE NITROGEN BEING NITRILE NITROGEN IN THE CYANOETHYL GROUPS THEREOF, THE IMPROVED PROCESS WHICH COMPRISES REACTING SAID FIBERS WITH AN ALKALINE AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF HYDROGEN PEROXIDE AND AMMONIUM HYDROXIDE UNTIL A PART OF THE NITRILE GROUPS ARE CONVERTED INTO AMIDE GROUPS, WASHING THE SO-REACTED FIBERS WITH WATER AND DILUTE AQUEOUS HYDROCHLORIC ACID TO REMOVE EXCESS REAGENTS, REACTING THE SO-TREATED FIBERS WITH AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF 2 N HYDROCHLORIC ACID UNTIL THE AMIDE GROUPS ARE CONVERTED INTO CARBOXYLIC ACID GROUPS TO PRODUCE A CARBOXYETHYL SUBSTITUTED CELLULOSE PRODUCT HAVING A FIBROUS STRUCTURE AND CONTAINING ABOUT 0.1 MOL OF CARBOXY GROUP AND ABOUT 0.2 MOL OF NITROGEN PER ANHDROGLUCOSE UNIT THEREOF, THE SAID AQUEOUS ALKALINE AND ACIDIC TREATMENTS OF SAID FIBERS BEING INSUFFICIENT TO DESTROY THE FIBROUS STRUCTURE THEREOF AND INSUFFICIENT TO APPRECIABLY HYDROLYZE THE FLUCOSIDIC LINKAGES THEREOF, AND REMOVERING THE FIBROUS CARBOXYETHYL SUBSTITUTED CELLULOSE PRODUCT SO OBTAINED.