Improvements in Nitrating Cellulose and other Vegetable Fibrous Substances.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 16th May, 1892
Complete Specification Left. 14th Feb., 1893-Accepted, 1st Apr., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Nitrating Cellulose and other Vegetable Fibrous
Substances.
We, CHARLES FREDERICK CROSS, EDWARD JOHN BEVAN and CLAYTON
BEADLE all of 4 New Court, Carey Street in the County of London, Analytical
and Consulting Chemists, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
Our invention relates to means of nitrating cellulose and other vegetable fibrous
substances in such a manner as to ensure complete solution in the nitrating agent,
to facilitate manipulation, and to determine the production of derivatives of definite
and uniform composition.
For this purpose, instead of subjecting the fibres themselves, according to the
usual process, to the action of mixed nitric and sulphuric acids, we, in the first place,
reduce the fibre to pulverulent form by treatment with acids or oxidants, in the
known manner, giving products such as those termed hydrocellulose or oxycellulose.
We then, having washed and dried the powder thus formed, dissolve it in strong
nitric acid, thus producing a clear gummy solution of the nitrated substance. From
this solution we can produce nitrates of various degrees of nitration by precipitating
with water to obtain a lower nitrate, or with sulphuric acid to obtain the higher and
highest nitrates.
Dated this 16th day of May 1899
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Nitrating Cellulose and other Vegetable Fibrous
Substances.
We, CHARLES FREDERICK CROSS, EDWARD JOHN BEVAN and CLAYTON
BEADLE all of No. 4 New Court, Carey Street, in the County of London,
Analytical and Consulting Chemists, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-.
Our invention relates to means of nitrating cellulose and other vegetable fibrous
substances consisting mostly of cellulose in such a manner as to insure complete
solution on the nitrating agent to facilitate manipulation, and to determine the
production of derivatives of definite and uniform composition.
For this purpose, instead of subjecting the fibres themselves, according to the
usual process, to the action cf mixed nitric and sulphuric acids, we, in the first place,
reduce the fibre to pulverulent form by treatment with acids or oxidants, in the
known manner, giving products such as those termed hydrocellulose or oxycellulose
or analogous derivatives from vegetable materials composed of mixtures or
compounds of cellulose with other substances.
We find a convenient and economical mode of effecting this is to place air dry
rags such as are used for paper making or fibres in a bleached or purified condition
in a chamber into which we pass hydrochloric acid gas under the action of which,
prolonged for some hours the rags or fibres are reduced to a condition such that the
least mechanical pressure has the effect of reducing them to impalpable powder.
We wash the fibres or rags thus prepared by flooding them several times with water
until the wash water shews neutral reaction. After removing as much water as

page_text: possible by centrifugal action or by pressure we thoroughly dry the product and
treat it with concentrated nitric acid, thus producing a clear gummy solution of the
nitrated substance. From this solution we can produce nitrates of various degrees
of nitration by precipitating with water to obtain a lower nitrate, or with sulphuric
acid to obtain the higher and highest nitrates.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
The herein described process for nitrating cellulose and other vegetable fibrous
substances by first reducing them to a state of minute division by chemical action,
and then, after washing and drying, treating the product with strong nitric acid.
Dated this 14th day of February 1893.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicants.