Patent GB-533952-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to shaped articles made from casein or vegetable seed proteins
IPC: D01F4/00
Filed: 1939-06-19
Abstract: 533,952. Treating shaped articles of protein. McLEAN, A., and IMPERIAL CHEMICAL INDUSTRIES, Ltd. June 19, 1939, No. 17882. [Classes 2 (ii), 2 (iii) and 15 (ii)] Filaments, fibres, films and other shaped articles made from solutions of casein or of seed proteins are treated with a concentrated aqueous solution of a salt of a hydrohalic acid containing formaldehyde or a compound yielding it under the conditions of the-treatment, a salt of a reducing sulphur acid in which the atomic ratio of oxygen, if present, to sulphur does not exceed 2:1, and an acid, e.g. hydrochloric, hydrobromic or sulphuric acid, which does not oxidize the salt of the sulphur acid and is substantially completely ionized in dilute aqueous solution. The quantity of acid is. preferably approximately equivalent to that of the salt of the sulphur acid. Specified salts of sulphur acids are water-soluble thiosulphates; sulphides, sulphoxylates, hydrosulphites and tetrathionates. The treatment is preferably completed by washing, first with water, then with a weakly alkaline solution containing, for example, sodium carbonate, bicarbonate, sesquicarbonate or borax. The treatment serves to harden the articles, to render them permanently resistant to swelling during wet processing, as in acid dyeing, and to prevent the development of discolouration during such processing. In examples, (1) filaments obtained by extruding into an acid salt precipitating bath a solution, aged for 24 hours at 20C., of peanut protein in an aqueous solution of urea, and washing the product in a saturated solution of sodium chloride are entered into a nearly saturated aqueous solution of sodium chloride containing sodium hydrosulphite, formaldehyde and hydrochloric acid, the solution being heated to 35C. and so maintained for 15-20 hours, whereupon the filaments are drained, washed and dried in air at about 30C. ; (2) the quantities of hydrosulphite and hydrochloric acid in (1) are halved to obtain slightly darker hardened filaments ; (3) similar filaments are treated for 18 hours with an aqueous solution at 35C. saturated with sodium chloride and containing sodium thiosulphate,'formaldehyde and hydrochloric acid ; (4) similar filaments are treated for 3 hours with a similar solution at 50C. ; (5) and (6) similar filaments are treated for (5) ¢-hour and (6) 1 hour with a similar solution at 70C.; (7) similar filaments are treated for 4 hours with a similar solution at 70C. in which the amounts of thiosulphate, formaldehyde and hydrochloric acid are considerably reduced ; (8) similar filaments are treated for 4 hours with an aqueous solution at 70C. saturated with sodium chloride and containing sodium sulphide, formaldehyde and hydrochloric acid; (9) the quantities of sulphide, formaldehyde and hydrochloric acid in (8) are reduced to one-third to obtain hardened filaments less well bleached ; (10) similar filaments are treated for 4 hours with an aqueous solution at 70C., saturated with sodium chloride containing sodium tetrathionate, formaldehyde and hydrochloric acid ; (11) filaments obtained by extruding into an aqueous precipitating bath, containing sodium sulphate and sulphuric acid, a solution of ground nut protein in dilute alkali, are treated for 17-18 hours with an aqueous solution at 35C., saturated with sodium chloride, containing sodium sulphide, formaldehyde and hydrochloric acid. The solution of the protein is obtained by extracting the oil from ground-nut meal with an organic solvent, extracting the residue with dilute caustic soda, treating the extract with sulphur dioxide, washing and drying the resulting precipitate and mixing this with dilute caustic soda. Specifications 492,677, 492,895, 495,332 and 513,910 are referred to.