A half-fraction, two-level, four-factor factorial experimental design was used to study the effects of the acetic anhydride concentration, reaction temperature, reaction time, and sulfuric acid concentration on the degree of substitution, intrinsic viscosity, and yield of oxidized cellulose acetate (OCA). Oxidized cellulose containing 20% (w/w) carboxylic acid was used as the starting material. The data were fitted by multiple regression analysis with SAS software. The correlation coefficients obtained from plots of the predicted and observed values for the degree of substitution, intrinsic viscosity, and yield were 0.985, 0.993, and 0.991, respectively. Residual normal plots of the regression models showed a linear relationship. Lenth and main-factor-effect plots revealed an increase in the degree of substitution of OCA with an increasing concentration of acetic anhydride. The latter had no effect on the intrinsic viscosity and yield of OCA. An increase in the reaction temperature led to an increase in the degree of substitution and a decrease in the intrinsic viscosity and yield of OCA. The influence of the reaction time on the degree of substitution and intrinsic viscosity followed a trend similar to that observed with the reaction temperature, but the yield of OCA was unaffected. Increasing the concentration of sulfuric acid reduced the degree of substitution, intrinsic viscosity, and yield of OCA. (c) 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.