Patent GB-572041-A (GB)
Title: Treatment of keratinous materials and products obtained thereby
IPC: D06M13/252
Filed: 1943-10-25
Abstract: Keratinous materials are treated with a water soluble mercapto alcohol whereby their shrinkage tendency is reduced, and their susceptibility to permanent set and reactivity towards alkali is increased.  The material is suspended in a solution or dispersion of a mercapto alcohol in a suitable solvent, the pH of which is adjusted to any desired value by the addition of sodium hydroxide, hydrochloric acid or a buffer solution such as citric acid-disodium acid phosphate solution.  The treatment may be effected for several hours or until the desired effect is obtained, in a closed vessel at a temperature below 100 DEG  C., when the treated material is finally washed and dried.  Wool or other animal hair such as camel's hair, mohair, horse-hair, cattle hair, hog bristles and human hair, or fur, feathers, hoofs, horns and horn tips may be treated according to the invention, and in the case of hoofs and horns, the process renders them more plastic. The water soluble mercapto alcohol may contain one or more hydroxyl and one or more thiol groups provided they are attached to only singly bonded aliphatic carbon atoms, and specified examples are 1-thiosorbitol, 1-thioglycerol, b -hydroxyethyl mercaptan, 1-thioerythritol, 1-thioarabitol, monothiopentaerythritol, glycerol-1 : 3-dithiol, erythritol-1 : 2-dithiol and erythritol-1 : 4-dithiol.  Water is the preferred solvent but ethanol, methanol, isopropanol, butanol, chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, acetone, or a mixture thereof may be employed.  The treated materials are suitable for subsequent treatment with cross-linking agents such as organic and inorganic dihalides, metallic salts and oxidising agents. Numerous examples are given in which the materials to be treated are wool flannel, wool serge, fur felt, chicken feathers, human hair, cattle hair, cattle hoofs and cattle horns, and in which buffered solutions of 1-thiosorbitol, b -hydroxyethyl mercaptan, 1-thioglycerol, glycerol-1 : 3-dithiol and mannitol-1 : 6-dithiol are employed as treating agents.ALSO:Keratinous materials are treated with a water-soluble mercapto alcohol, whereby their shrinkage tendency is reduced, and their susceptibility to permanent set and reactivity towards alkali is increased.  The material is suspended in a solution or dispersion of a mercapto alcohol in a suitable solvent, the pH of which is adjusted to any desired value by the addition of sodium hydroxide, hydrochloric acid or a buffer solution such as citric acid-disodium acid phosphate solution.  The treatment may be effected for several hours or until the desired effect is obtained, in a closed vessel at a temperature below 100 DEG  C., when the treated material is finally washed and dried.  Hoofs, horns and horn tips may be treated according to the invention, the process rendering them more plastic.  The water-soluble mercapto alcohol may contain one or more hydroxyl and one or more thiol groups provided they are attached to only singly bonded aliphatic carbon atoms, and specified examples are 1-thiosorbitol, 1-thioglycerol, b -hydroxyethylmercaptan, 1-thioerythritol, 1-thioarabitol, monothiopentaerythritol, glycerol-1 : 3-dithiol, erythritol - 1 : 2 - dithiol and erythritol - 1 : 4 - dithiol. Water is the preferred solvent, but ethanol, methanol, isopropanol, butanol, chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, acetone, or a mixture thereof may be employed. The treated materials are suitable for subsequent treatment with cross-linking agents such as organic and inorganic dihalides, metallic salts and oxidizing agents.  In examples, cattle hoofs and cattle horns are treated with buffered solutions of 1-thiosorbitol.