Solid-state 13C NMR study of Na-cellulose complexes

The interaction of microcrystalline cellulose from cotton and aqueous sodium hydroxide was investigated by C-13 NMR solid-state spectroscopy as a function of temperature and sodium hydroxide concentration. When the concentration of NaOH was increased, the initial cellulose spectrum was replaced successively by that of Na-cellulose I followed by that of Na-cellulose II. In Na-cellulose 1, each carbon atom occurred as a singlet, thus implying that one glucosyl moiety was the independent magnetic residue in the structure of this allomorph. In addition, the occurrence of the C6 near 62 ppm is an indication of a gt conformation for the hydroxymethyl group of Na-cellulose I. In Na-cellulose II, the analysis of the resonances of C1 and C6 points toward a structure based on a cellotriosyl moiety as the independent magnetic residue, in agreement with the established X-ray analysis that has shown that for this allomorph, the fiber repeat was also that of a cellotriosyl residue. For Na-cellulose II, the occurrence of the C6 in the 60 ppm region indicates an overall gg conformation for the hydroxymethyl groups. A comparison of the spectra recorded at 268 K and at room temperature confirms the stronger interaction of NaOH with cellulose when the temperature is lowered. In the Q region, corresponding to NaOH concentrations of around 9% and temperatures below 277 K, most of the sample was dissolved and no specific solid-state C-13 NMR spectrum could be recorded, except for that of a small fraction of undissolved cellulose I. The same experiment run on a wood pulp sample leads to a new spectrum, with spectral characteristics different from those of Na-cellulose I and Na-cellulose II. This new spectrum is assigned to the Q phase, which appears to result from topological constraints that are present in whole wood pulp fibers but not in microcrystalline cellulose. A spectrum recorded for samples in the Na-cellulose III conditions resembled that of Na-cellulose II but of lower resolution. Similarly, a spectrum of a sample of Na-cellulose IV was identical to that of hydrated cellulose II. These observations have allowed us to propose a simplified phase diagram of the cellulose/NaOH system in terms of temperature and NaOH concentration. This diagram, which is simpler than the one deduced from X-ray analysis, consists of only four different regions partially overlapping.