Synthesis of new cellulose ethers using Suzuki–Miyaura reactions

• We developed new conditions for the synthesis of cellulose ethers.
• The coupling reactions are carried out in mild, moisture- and air-stable conditions.
• Cellulose ethers bearing various functionalities can be obtained in excellent yields.
• Various sensitive functional groups can be grafted on the cellulose backbones.
• Cellulose ethers are obtained with good to excellent degrees of grafting.

Cellulose ethers are functionalized biopolymers that are industrially produced through drastic conditions employing gaseous reactants with a high risk of industrial accident. The cellulose ethers that are commercially available generally bear short carbon-chains. In this work, an alternative method using non-gaseous chemicals is proposed. It relies on the use of the Suzuki–Miyaura reaction employing mild, moisture- and air-stable conditions. Relatively innocuous reagents are used for this step, which allows the formation of a wide range of cellulose ethers bearing various functional groups with different chain-length.