Part III: 2-Thiobarbituric Acid Test for Degradation

Abstract

Raw cotton irradiated with cathode rays was found to form color compounds with 2-thiobarbituric acid (TBA) in acidic solutions. The color intensity of the test solution was derived from cellulose and the minor constituents of raw cotton. A test method was evolved from this finding based on the measurement of the ab sorption at 449 mμ. The color of the test solution is stable and the results of the test are reproducible; the test method is direct and rapid to perform. The results of this test compared well with those of the tests of tensile strength, copper number, and in trinsic viscosity. A proposed cotton TBA index is defined. Microbiologically deteriorated cotton is also sensitive to this test. The possibility of using this test for the rapid determination of chemical damage to raw cotton and other substances that contain cellulose as the major constituent is suggested.