New 6-deoxy-6-amino cellulose derivatives with a degree of substitution (DS) in the range from 0.4 to 0.6 were synthesized by nucleophilic displacement (SN) reactions of cellulose tosylates (DSTos 0.74 and 1.29) with R(+)-, S(-)- and racemic I-phenylethylamine under homogeneous conditions in N,N-dimethylformamide and water. The structure of the polymers was characterized by elemental analysis, FTIR and C-13 NMR spectroscopy. The DS values obtained as well as the optical rotation and circular dichroism measurements in dimethyl sulfoxide reveal that the initial chirality of the cellulose backbone does not have any significant influence on its reactivity with either of the two enantiomeric amines.