Change in Cotton, Linen, Rayon, and Cellulose Secondary Acetate with Temperature of Steaming

Abstract

Reaction of woven cotton, linen, rayon, and cellulose secondary acetate with steam at three temperatures from 115.2° to 153.0° is measured, after rinsing of cloth in water, as amount of change in brightness, reducing action, weight, and wet strength of each polar polymer and change in acetyl of the cellulose secondary acetate. The trends of interdependence among these changes and the linearity of the relationship between logarithm of change and reciprocal of absolute temperature are compared as slopes. Apparent energies of interaction are evaluated as parameters of the Arrhenius and Eyring equations for temperature dependence of rate of reaction under the assumption that increment in copper(II) reduced to copper (I) by residual fiber and decrement in acetyl of the cellulose secondary acetate were each directly proportionate to rate of reversible reaction. The logarithm of the pre-exponential parameter is shown to increase linearly with Arrhenius energy of activation as change in entropy increases linearly with change in enthalpy accompanying depolymerization of the bleached linen, bleached cotton, rayon, and desized unbleached cotton.