ovement in the Production of Solutions of Cellulose and o Cellulose and Natural Silk in Concentrated Zinc Chloride Solution.
Year: 1899

page_text: TION.
ovement in the Production of Solutions of Cellulose and o
Cellulose and Natural Silk in Concentrated Zinc Chloride Solution.
I, JOHN IMRAY, of Birkbeck Bank Chambers, Southampton Buildings, in the
County of London, Consulting Engineer and Chartered Patent Agent, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention (as communicated to me from abroad by
Dr. Emile Bronnert, of Mülhausen, Niedermorschweiler, Alsatia, Chemist)
5 to be as follows:-
My foreign correspondent has discovered that cellulose is much more easily
soluble in concentrated zinc chloride, and that the thread produced by decom-
posing the solution is much stronger, if the cellulose is first hydrated by known
methods, then treated with oxidising agents, or first treated with suitable oxy-
dising agents and then hydrated and finally dissolved without application of
heat.
According to this invention the above discovery is applied as follows:--
The raw material, freed from fat and bleached, is first treated for about
one hour with a cold concentrated solution of caustic soda; after it is thoroughly
mercerised by this treatment, it is drained by centrifugal action and washed
with much water till free from alkali. The material thus uniformly hydrated,
or another hydrate of cellulose, is next treated with an oxidising agent, which
nay with advantage be an electrolytically prepared bleaching solution con-
aining 2 to 5 grams of available chlorine per litre; other bleaching materials,
uch as chloride of lime solution and the like, may, however be used. The
leached material is next thoroughly washed, finely divided, if necessary, and
ithout drying, dissolved directly in concentrated zinc chloride solution, without
plication of heat.
Cellulose also may be treated first by the oxidising agent and then by the
drating agent.
In this manner a light viscous solution containing upwards of 8 per cent. of
lulose is obtained which is of a consistence suitable for the production of
ead by a gentle pressure, at the ordinary temperature.
o produce an artificial thread more nearly approaching silk in its properties
cellulose thread does, natural silk waste may be dissolved in a concentrated
tion of zinc chloride in the known manner and the solution may be mixed
with the cellulose solution prepared as described above. If such a mixture
be used solely for printing fabrics and like purposes, a larger addition of
ral silk may be made than when the mixture is to be used for making fine
cial threads. In the latter case, the addition of the silk solution impairs
bread making properties of the cellulose solution and it is well to limit the
ity of the silk to about 1th of that of the cellulose.
Dated this 9th day of September 1890
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: An Improvement in the Production of Solutions of Cellulose and of
Cellulose and Natural Silk in Concentrated Zinc Chloride Solution.
I, JOHN IMRAY, of Birkbeck Bank Chambers, Southampton Buildings, in the
County of London, Consulting Engineer and Chartered Patent Agent, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention (as communicated to me from abroad by
Dr. Emile Brounert, of Mülhausen, Niedermorschweiler, Alsatia, Chemist)
and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
-
My foreign correspondent has discovered that cellulose is much more easily
soluble in concentrated zinc chloride, and that the thread produced by decom-
posing the solution is much stronger, if the cellulose is first hydrated by known
methods, then treated with oxidising bleaching agents, or first treated with
suitable oxidising bleaching agents and then hydrated, and finally dissolved
without application of heat.
According to this invention the above discovery is applied as follows:-
The cleaned raw material is first treated for about one hour with a cold con-
centrated solution of caustic soda; after it is thoroughly mercerised by this
treatment, it is drained by centrifugal action and washed with much water till
free from alkali.
One part of the material thus uniformly hydrated, or another hydrate of
cellulose, is next treated for several hours at a temperature about 15° C. or lower
with 30-40 parts of an oxidising bleaching agent, which may with advantage
be an electrolytically prepared bleaching solution containing 2 to 5 grammes of
available chlorine per litre; other bleaching materials, such as chloride of
lime solution and the like, may, however be used. The bleached material is
next thoroughly washed, finely divided, if necessary, and without drying, dis-
solved directly in concentrated zinc chloride solution, without application of
heat.
Cellulose may be treated also first by the oxidising bleaching agent and then
by the hydrating agent, the procedure being the same as that described above
except that the order of application of the solutions is reversed. In this manner
a light viscous solution containing upwards of 8 per cent. of cellulose is obtained
which is of a consistence suitable for the production of thread by a gentle
pressure, at the ordinary temperature.
To produce an artificial thread more nearly approaching silk in its properties
than cellulose thread does, natural silk waste may be dissolved in a concentrated
solution of zinc chloride in the known manner and the solution may be mixed
cold with the cellulose solution prepared as described above. If such a mixture
is to be used solely for coating or printing fabrics, a larger addition of natural
silk may be made than when the mixture is to be used for making fine artificial
threads..
In the latter case, the addition of the silk solution impairs the thread making
properties of the cellulose solution and it is well to limit the quantity of the silk
to about th of that of the cellulose.
To coat a fabric with such a solution the latter is spread thereon and the
fabric is passed first between rollers which remove the excess of solution and then
through a bath of dilute sulphuric acid or of an aqueous solution of ammonium
chloride containing 10 per cent. of this salt. Drying the fabric while it is
stretched on slightly heated rollers completes the process.
The printing of a fabric is similarly effected, the solution being applied by
means of printing rollers.

page_text: a solutions of cellulose in zinc chloride solution have been
produced and have been applied in the arts, and I make no general claim to
the production of such solutions, but
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. An improvement in the production of solutions of cellulose in concentrated
zine chloride solution consisting in first treating cleaned cellulose successively,
in any order, with a concentrated solution of caustic alkali at a low temperature
and with an oxidising bleaching agent, and then dissolving it in concentrated
zine chloride solution without application of heat substantially as described.
2. The production of a solution of cellulose and natural silk in concentrated
zine chloride solution by adding a solution of natural silk in zinc chloride
solution to a solution of cellulose prepared as set forth in Claim 1.
Dated this 17th day of April 1900.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant