Treatment of Fecula and other Amylaceous Matters by Means of Alkaline Chlorites or Hypochlorites for the Purpose of Obtaining a Gummy and Gelatinous Product.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Aug., 1898-Accepted, 8th July, 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
The Treatment of Fecula and other Amylaceous Matters by Means of
Alkaline Chlorites or Hypochlorites for the Purpose of Obtaining
a Gummy and Gelatinous Product.
I, CHARLES BRUEDER, of Arches (Vosges), in the Republic of France, Manu-
facturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement:-
Alkaline chlorites and hypochlorites in an alkaline medium under special con-
ditions transform common fecula and starches into a gelatinous product and my
invention consists in the treatment of such fecula, or other amylaceous sub-
stances, by means of alkaline chlorites, or hypochlorites, for the purpose of
obtaining a gummy and gelatinous product possessing all the properties of and
being suitable for the same industrial purposes as animal gelatine.
In carrying my invention into practice it will suffice to dilute for exampla
1000 kilos. of fecula in 8 to 900 litres of water containing 100 litres of chlorite
or preferably of ordinary liquid hypochlorite of potash, to allow it to stand,
decant, and let the sediment dry, then heat it in a stove up to 50 to 100° C for
some hours in order to obtain a product of a very excellent white which is soluble
in water like gelatine and possesses all the industrial properties of the latter;;
ordinary hypochlorite of soda may also be used.
The chemical reaction which takes place under these circumstances is abso-
lutely novel. Care must be taken to use only neutral starches and to neutralize.
before use starches which contain, as is generally found, sulphurous acid by
previously neutralising and transforming the sulphurous acid into neutral
sulphate of soda preferably by means of peroxide of sodium, as the acid decom-
poses the bypochlorite throwing off chlorine and the product obtained under
these condtions not only does not offer any of the properties of gelatine but
moreover contains quantities of free chlorine. Preferably in neutralising the
sulphurous acid, the starches are rendered somewhat alkaline as by operating
in an alkaline medium, the product obtained in the manner herein before
described, after being dried, preserves a weak alkaline reaction and is without
any trace of free chlorine. When used for starching dyed materials of delicate
shades, it will suffice to neutralise it by traces of acetic acid.
When neutral fecule and starches or such substances neutralised or rendered
slightly alkaline in the manner hereinbefore described are employed, the alka-
line chlorites or hypochlorites act on the amylaceous substances without the
aid of any other chemical agent and give if treated as hereinbefore set forth new
gummy products obtained by a novel chemical reaction, in which products no
trace of free chlorine is found. The amylaceous substance during the process
decomposes completely the hypochlorites of soda or of potash, and there remains
in the product obtained only chloride of sodium or of potassium according to
the base of the hypochlorites employed, that is to say if hypochlorite of soda is
employed there remains in the product obtained only chloride of sodium, and
If hypochlorite of potash is used, there remains in the product only chloride of

page_text: potassium. The characteristic of the products obtained by this method of treat-
ment is to make, when they are mixed with water in the proportion of 20 to
50 per cent. of the weight of the water used, and heated, glues which thicken
for a few moments, then become fluid and do not contain traces of free chlorine
but only contain chloride of sodium or of potassium.
I reserve to myself the right of altering the proportions and the temperatures
above set forth according to the products to be obtained.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is-
-
1. The treatment of neutral feculæ and starches or of such amylaceous sub-
stances neutralised preferably by means of peroxide of sodium, with alkaline
chlorites or alkaline hypochlorites preferably with hypochlorite of soda or with
hypochlorite of potash without the aid of any other chemical agent, substantially
in the manner hereinbefore described and for the purpose set forth.
2. The products resulting from the herein before described method of treating
fecula and other amylaceous matters, such products forming a suitable substi-
tute for gelatine in all its industrial uses.