Hydrogen peroxide, wool bleach

The most common chemical bleaching procedures are hypochlorite bleach for cotton hydrogen peroxide bleach for wool and cotton sodium chlorite bleach for cotton, polyamide, polyester, and polyacrylonitrile and reductive bleaching with dithionite for wool and polyamide. 

Bleaching. The largest single use for hydrogen peroxide in the United States and North America is wood pulp bleaching, but consumption for the manufacture of chemicals, environmental appHcations, and for bleaching cotton (qv), wool (qv), and other textiles (qv) is significant. 

Heavily pigmented wools such as karakul require a more stringent approach, known as mordant bleaching, in which a metal salt is first appHed. The metal cations ate preferentially absorbed by the melanin pigment, where they subsequendy decompose hydrogen peroxide to produce highly aggressive hydroxyl free radicals, which then attack and bleach the melanin (114). 

YeUowing of wool can occur during dyeing, depending on pH, temperature and time, and chlorinated wools ate especially sensitive. Bleaching agents that can be added to the dyebath have been developed based on sodium bisulfite and hydroxylamine sulfate (108). Addition of hydrogen peroxide to the dyebath after exhaustion can also be effective. 

Wool and Silk. Wool must be caretiiUy bleached to avoid fiber damage. It is usually bleached with 1—5% hydrogen peroxide solutions at pH 8—9 for several hours at 40—55°C or at pH 5.5—8 for 20—60 min at 70—80°C. Silk is bleached similarly, but at slightly higher temperatures. 

Wool with dark pigmented fibers is treated with ferrous sulfate, sodium dithionite, and formaldehyde before it is bleached with hydrogen peroxide. The ferrous ions are absorbed by the dark pigments where they increase the bleaching done by the peroxide. 

Wool may also be bleached with reducing agents, usually after bleaching with hydrogen peroxide. This is the normal practice with wool blends. In the reducing step, 0.2—0.5% sodium dithionite solutions are often used at pH 5.5—7 for 1—2 h at 45—65°C. Faster bleaching is obtained with 2inc hydroxymethane-sulfinate [24887-06-7] below pH 3 and above 80°C. 

Oxidative bleaching of wool is invariably carried out with hydrogen peroxide. The active species involved is likely to be the same as on cellulosic substrates but specific reactions with wool amino acid residues must be considered. The primary reaction is oxidation of cystine disulphide bonds leading to the formation of cysteic acid residues (Scheme 10.41). The rupture of disulphide crosslinks, with attendant increase in urea-bisulphite and alkali solubility values, adversely affects fibre properties. As the severity of bleaching conditions increases, the urea-bisulphite solubility remains little changed but the relationships between alkali solubility and cysteic acid (Figure 10.36) and between cystine and cysteic acid (Figure... 

Figure 10.38 Effect of treatment time on the alkali solubility and Jaquemart whiteness index of wool bleached with 2-vol. hydrogen peroxide at 40 °C and 50 °C [259,264]...

For satisfactory whiteness on wool, it is essential for the fibre to be well scoured and bleached, either oxidatively with hydrogen peroxide or by reduction using stabilised sodium dithionite. Brightener is usually applied together with the dithionite bleach. To achieve the highest possible whiteness, the wool should first be scoured to remove natural waxes and other contaminants, then bleached with peroxide and finally treated with FBA during a second bleach with dithionite. 

Fur. Fur is bleached to permit dyeing to the desired shade. The coloring matter in fur is usually bleached using hydrogen peroxide stabilized with sodium silicate. For difficult to bleach dark hairs it is necessary to add a step using a reducing agent with a catalyst such as ferrous sulfate. The formula and procedures are the same as those used for wool. 

The hydrogen peroxide formed in situ can be used for bleaching22 of the textile fabric (wool, cotton), and its concentration is an important parameter concerning the quality of the bleached product. Cotton is mostly... 

A 30 or 40 per cent by volume hydrogen peroxide is used as bleach for silk, wood, Wool, bones, teeths, feathers, mother of pearl, hom, hair, coral, gelatine, oils and fats. In medical science it is an excellent disinfectant and is also essential for sterilizing water for municipal use and preserving milk. Apart from this, hydrogen peroxide is used in the chemical industries for the manufacture of persalts and in laboratories for oxidation. 

The consumption of hydrogen peroxide in the manufacture of high quality paper is expected to increase strongly, at least in the USA. In the textile industry, hydrogen peroxide is mainly used for the bleaching of cotton, although it is also used for the bleaching of wool. 

Bleaching of wool in alkaline hydrogen peroxide solution... 

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