Chemical Changes in the Cuticle of Oxidized Wool

Abstract

A simple method for obtaining cuticle from wool shrinkproofed by oxidative methods is described. Amino acid analyses of cuticle preparations show that the cuticle is modified far more than the rest of the fiber by successful treatments of this type. Cystine, tyrosine, and methionine are extensively changed by most treatments, but per monosulfuric acid oxidation mainly affects the content of cystine. The extent to which cystine is modified varies with the shrinkproof treatment. The analyses suggest that, although treatments with permanganate/salt, permonosulfuric acid, and hypochlorite at pH 4.2 effect marked changes in the chemical nature of the cuticle, they are not as severe as dry chlorination or acid chlorinations with either hypochlorite or bromate/salt.