Oxidized cellulose is a water insoluble derivative of cellulose

Cellulose

Cellulose is an organic compound with the formula , a polysaccharide consisting of a linear chain of several hundred to over ten thousand β linked D-glucose units....

. It can be produced from cellulose by the action of an oxidizing agent, such as chlorine

Chlorine

Chlorine is the chemical element with atomic number 17 and symbol Cl. It is the second lightest halogen, found in the periodic table in group 17. The element forms diatomic molecules under standard conditions, called dichlorine...

, hydrogen peroxide

Hydrogen peroxide

Hydrogen peroxide is the simplest peroxide and an oxidizer. Hydrogen peroxide is a clear liquid, slightly more viscous than water. In dilute solution, it appears colorless. With its oxidizing properties, hydrogen peroxide is often used as a bleach or cleaning agent...

, peracetic acid, chlorine dioxide

Chlorine dioxide

Chlorine dioxide is a chemical compound with the formula ClO2. This yellowish-green gas crystallizes as bright orange crystals at −59 °C. As one of several oxides of chlorine, it is a potent and useful oxidizing agent used in water treatment and in bleaching....

, nitrogen dioxide

Nitrogen dioxide

Nitrogen dioxide is the chemical compound with the formula it is one of several nitrogen oxides. is an intermediate in the industrial synthesis of nitric acid, millions of tons of which are produced each year. This reddish-brown toxic gas has a characteristic sharp, biting odor and is a prominent...

, persulfate

Persulfate

The term persulfate refers to ions or compounds with more oxygen than normal sulfates.These do not have sulfur in a different oxidation state; rather, they contain peroxide units, where two oxygens take the place of one in a normal sulfate; the oxygen atoms are in oxidation state −1.The main forms...

s, permanganate

Permanganate

A permanganate is the general name for a chemical compound containing the manganate ion, . Because manganese is in the +7 oxidation state, the permanganate ion is a strong oxidizing agent. The ion has tetrahedral geometry...

, dichromate-sulfuric acid, hypochlorous acid

Hypochlorous acid

Hypochlorous acid is a weak acid with the chemical formula HClO. It forms when chlorine dissolves in water. It cannot be isolated in pure form due to rapid equilibration with its precursor...

, hypohalite

Hypohalite

A hypohalite is an oxyanion containing a halogen in oxidation state +1.This includes hypoiodite, hypobromite, hypochlorite, and hypofluorite....

s or periodate

Periodate

Periodate is an anion composed of iodine and oxygen. Periodates include two forms. The metaperiodate ion is IO4−; the orthoperiodate ion is IO65−. Usually both forms are called periodates. Periodate is the conjugate base of periodic acid....

s and a variety of metal catalysts. Oxidized cellulose may contain carboxylic acid

Carboxylic acid

Carboxylic acids are organic acids characterized by the presence of at least one carboxyl group. The general formula of a carboxylic acid is R-COOH, where R is some monovalent functional group...

, aldehyde

Aldehyde

An aldehyde is an organic compound containing a formyl group. This functional group, with the structure R-CHO, consists of a carbonyl center bonded to hydrogen and an R group....

, and/or ketone

Ketone

In organic chemistry, a ketone is an organic compound with the structure RCR', where R and R' can be a variety of atoms and groups of atoms. It features a carbonyl group bonded to two other carbon atoms. Many ketones are known and many are of great importance in industry and in biology...

 groups, in addition to the original hydroxyl groups of the starting material, cellulose, depending on the nature of the oxidant and reaction conditions. It is an antihemorrhagic.