Polycarboxylic acids have been used as crosslinking agents for cotton cellulose. In our previous research, we used Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy to investigate the formation of five-membered cyclic anhydride intermediates on cotton fabric by different polycarboxylic acids. In this research, we found that those polycarboxylic acids capable of forming both five- and six-membered cyclic anhydrides form only five-membered cyclic anhydrides. We compared the effectiveness of the polycarboxylic acids with different molecular structures for esterifying cellulose. Those polycarboxylic acids, which have their carboxyl groups bonded to the adjacent carbons of their molecular backbones and are capable of forming five-membered cyclic anhydrides, are more effective for esterifying cellulose than those polycarboxylic acids having their carboxyl groups bonded to the alternative carbons. The only six-membered cyclic anhydride identified is the anhydride formed on the cotton fabric treated with poly(acrylic acid).