Cellulose Ether

Cellulose is a naturally occurring polymer and exists in a fibrous form in plants.
The purest natural cellulose is the cotton lint or staple fiber which on a dry basis consists of about 95 wt % cellulose. However, due to its high cost cotton staple fiber is not used to manufacture cellulose derivatives. Currently, cellulose materials used to manufacture cellulose derivatives are isolated from trees or raw cotton linters. Cellulose fibers obtained by purification of wood are called wood pulps. Due to their low cost these furnishes are the most commonly employed sources of cellulose for the manufacture of cellulose derivatives.