Hydroxypropyl cellulose from α-cellulose isolated from Lantana camara with respect to DS and rheological behavior

Hydroxypropylation of alpha cellulose isolated from L. camara was carried out with propyleneoxide in presence of sodium hydroxide under different reaction conditions. Variables studied were concentrations of sodium hydroxide and propyleneoxide, reaction temperature and time. The degree of substitution (DS) and apparent viscosity (η) were determined. The optimum conditions for preparing hydroxypropyl cellulose (DS 1.42) were 23.18 M/AGU propyleneoxide and 1 M/AGU sodium hydroxide at 70 °C for 3 h. The optimized product exhibited cold-water solubility and a clear solution in aqueous medium suggesting interesting rheological properties. The optimized product was also further evaluated with IR, SEM, TGA/DTA and WAXDs.