Comparative Study of the Sonolysis and Radiolysis of Carboxymethylcellulose in Aqueous Solution

Comparison of the changes in the relative molecular-mass distribution of Na-carboxymethylcellulose on sonolysis, γ-radiolysis and acid hydrolysis in aqueous solutions has shown that sonochemical degradation of Na-carboxymethylcellulose takes place both as a result of mechanical rupture of the macrochains and as a result of the effect of active free radicals from cavitation bubbles, the contributions of the two mechanisms depending on the sonolysis conditions.