36— INVESTIGATIONS ON CRYSTALLOGRAPHIC CHANGES OCCURRING IN WOOL KERATIN DURING CHEMICAL MODIFICATION, WITH PARTICULAR REFERENCE TO FINISHING PROCESSES

Abstract

The details of a new type of X-ray diffractometer designed in order to investigate rapidly possible changes in the configuration of the wool keratin crystal lattice during periods of perturbation are briefly described. Consideration is then given to certain practical and theoretical limitations of the method and, in particular, to the degree of correlation to be expected with results obtained from other techniques. Finally, the stability of the native and modified keratin lattice is investigated by measuring the activation energies of a series of degradation reactions which proceed by hydrogen-bond fission. Finishing treatments, of the urea-reducer type, which impart permanent set, do not appear to influence markedly the stability of the crystalline helical component in the keratin complex.