Modification

Name:
Modification
Detailed information:
A chemical reaction in which some or all of the substituent radicals of a high polymer are replaced by other chemical entities, resulting in a marked change in one or more properties of the polymer without destroying its structural identity. Cellulose, e.g., can be modified by substitution of its hydroxyl groups by carboxyl or alkyl radicals along the carbon chain. These reactions are usually not stoichiometric. Their products have many properties foreign to the original cellulose, e.g., water solubility, high viscosity, gel- and film-forming ability. Other polymeric substances that can undergo modification are rubber, starches, polyacrylonitrile, and some other synthetic resins.See Cellulose, Modified.