The Temperature Dependence of the Rate of Crosslinking with Formaldehyde and of the Hydrolysis of Cotton Cellulose

The kinetics of the crosslinking of cotton fabrics in aqueous solution with formaldehyde using hydrochloric acid as catalyst, and the acid degradation (hydrolysis) of cotton were measured simultaneously at 67.4°C, 77.6°C, and 87.0°C. Some related kinetic measurements of these two reactions were also carried out with the pad-dry-cure process, catalyzed by MgCl2, at 140°C, 160°C, and 180°C. The apparent activation energies of crosslinking and hydrolysis were calculated. They are discussed with reference to the improvement in the dry crease-recovery angle/tensile strength relation at lower reaction temperatures. For the reaction in aqueous solution the rate of degradation of the accessible as well as the highly-ordered fractions of cellulose were determined. Finally, the apparent reaction enthalpy of the crosslinking reaction was estimated.