Cellulose ethers having improved dispersing properties

Claim 1

A process for preparing a modified cellulose reaction product, which is dispersible in aqueous media over a broad pH range without lump formation, by reacting water-soluble cellulose ether with a modifying agent in the amount of from 0.0001 to 0.12 mole of modifying agent per mole of cellulose in the cellulose ether; the modifying agent being a silane, R--R 4 , in which R is of the formula ##STR2## and wherein R 1 is alkyl having from 1 to 4 carbon atoms, alkenyl having from 1 to 4 carbon atoms or carbocyclic aryl having one or two 6-membered rings and up to 15 carbon atoms (including aliphatic side groups) and optionally being ring substituted by a member selected from the group consisting of chloro, bromo, alkoxy having from 1 to 4 carbon atoms, carbocyclic aryloxy having one or two 6-membered rings and up to 15 carbon atoms (including aliphatic side groups) and phenyl; R 2 is --H, one of the meanings of R 1 or one of the meanings of R 4 ; R 3 is one of the meanings of R 2 ; and R 4 is alkoxy having from 1 to 4 carbon atoms and optionally being substituted by a member selected from the group consisting of alkoxy having from 1 to 4 carbon atoms and carbocyclic aryloxy having one or two 6-membered rings and up to 15 carbon atoms (including aliphatic side groups); aryloxy having one or two 6-membered rings and up to 15 carbon atoms (including aliphatic side groups) and optionally being substituted by a member selected from the group consisting of alkoxy having from 1 to 4 carbon atoms and aryloxy having one or two 6-membered rings and up to 15 carbon atoms (including aliphatic side groups); aliphatic carboxylic acid acyloxy having up to 5 carbon atoms, aromatic carboxylic acid acyloxy having one or two 6-membered carbocyclic rings and up to 16 carbon atoms; O--R; or NH--R.