Carboxyethylation of cotton by treatment with acrylamide

摘要

AbstractNew methods for the treatment of cotton with acrylamide have been studied which permit the preparation of modified fabrics with relatively high degrees of carboxyethyl substitution. Wet treatment with acrylamide and sodium hydroxide can be used to produce cottons bearing both carboxyethyl and carbamoylethyl ether substituents. Adjustment of reaction conditions controls the amount and ratio of these substituents. The effects of varying the concentrations of the reactants, the time and the temperature of reaction, and the solvent media employed have been determined. Some elucidation of the chemical mechanisms is provided. Previous work has shown that dry heat treatments of cotton impregnated with acrylamide and alkali can be used to produce high carbamoylethyl substitutions with little or no carboxyethyl substitution. The present work provides an extension of the cotton‐acrylamide treatment whereby fabrics can be produced with only carboxyethyl or carbamoylethyl groups, or with mixtures of the tw