Process for dimensionally stabilizing cellulose and aqueous composition used therefor

Claim 1

THE PROCESS OF DIMENSIONALLY STABILIZING CELLULOSE SUBJECT TO VARYING HUMIDITY CONDITIONS COMPRISING IMPREGNATING SAID CELLULOSE WITH AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF A SALT FORMED BY REACTING A BASIC COMPOUND SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING AMMONIA AND A LOW MOLECULAR WEIGHT ALIPHATIC MONOAMINE HAVING A BOILING POINT BELOW 100* C. WITH AN ORGANIC COMPOUND HAVING A PLURALITY OF HYDROXYL GROUPS ATTACHED TO DIFFERENT CARBON ATOMS IN THE MOLECULE, AT LEAST ONE OF THE HYDROXYL GROUPS BEING PART OF A CARBOXY GROUP, SAID ORGANIC COMPOUND BEING SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF A POLYCARBOXYLIC ACID, A HYDROXYMONOCARBOXYLIC ACID, A PARTIAL ESTER OF A POLYHYDRIC ALCOHOL AND A POLYCARBOXYLIC ACID, SAID ESTER CONTAINING ONLY ONE POLYHYDRIC ALCOHOL RESIDUE AND ONLY ONE POLYCARBOXYLIC ACID RESIDUE, SAID ESTER CONTAINING AT LEAST ONE FREE HYDROXYL GROUP AND AT LEAST ONE HYDROXYL GROUP WHICH IS PART OF A CARBOXYL GROUP, SAID ESTER HAVING BEEN FORMED BY REACTING SAID POLYHYDRIC ALCOHOL AND SAID POLYCARBOXYLIC ACID IN SUBSTANTIALLY EQUIMOLECULAR PROPORTION AT AN ELEVATED TEMPERTURE AND STOPPING SAID REACTION AFTER THE ACIDITY HAS BEEN REDUCED BY A FRACTION OF 1/N WHERE N IS THE NUMBER OF CARBOXYL GROUPS IN THE SAID POLYCARBOXYLIC ACID, AND A PARTIAL ESTER OF A POLYHYDRIC ALCOHOL AND A POLYCARBOXYLIC ACID, SAID LAST-MEMTIONED ESTER CONTAINING ONLY ONE POLYHYDRIC ALCOHOL RESIDUE AND AT LEAST TWO POLYCARBOXYLIC ACID RESIDUES AND SAID ESTER CONTAINING AT LEAST TWO HYDROZYL GROUPS WHICH ARE PART OF A CARBOXYL GROUP, SAID ESTER HAVING BEEN FORMED BY REACTING SAID POLYCARBOXYLIC ACID WITH SAID POLYHYDRIC ALCOHOL AT AN ELEVATED TERMPERATURE IN A PROPORTION OF AT LEAST ABOUT TWO MOLS OF SAID ACID FOR EACH MOL OF SAID ALCOHOL AND STOPING SAID REACTION AFTER THE ACIDITY HAS BEEN REDUCED BY A FRACTION OF 1/N WHERE N IS THE NUMBER OF CARBOXYL GROUPS IN THE SAID POLYCARBOXYLIC ACID; AND HEATING SAID CELLULOSE TO DRY IT AND DRIVE OFF SAID BASIC COMPOUND, SAID CELLULOSE BEING IMPREGNATED WITH A SUFFICIENT AMOUNT OF SAID SOLUTION THAT THE DRIED IMPREGNATED CELLULOSE CONTAINS FROM ABOUT 2-50% BY WEIGHT OF SAID ORGANIC COMPOUND.