| abstract |
An esterified cellulose ether comprising aliphatic monovalent acyl groups and groups of the formula - C(O) - R - COOH, R being a divalent hydrocarbon group, has the following properties: i) the degree of neutralization of the groups - C(O) - R - COOH is not more than 0.4, ii) the total degree of ester substitution is from 0.10 to 0.70, and iii) the esterified cellulose ether has a solubility in water of at least 2.0 weight percent at 2 C. |