The thermokinetics and integral thermal effects of the action of various liquids on some protein fibres

Abstract

The thermokinetics and integral thermal effects of the action of methanol, ethanol, n-propanol, n-butanol, and acetic acid on u~ool, silk, and casein fibre Wipolan have been studied by a microcalorimetric method.     It has been found that the rate of penetration depends first of all on the structure of accessible regions in protein fibres and on the dimensions of the penetrant molecule and its ability to react with functional groups of these fibres. By selecting a penetrant molecule of suitable dimensions one may cause the penetration process to become a slow phenomenon, being a characteristic for the structure of accessible regions in the given fibre. Such penetrant liquids for protein fibres are ethanol and acetic acid.    It has been shown that the accessible phase in protein fibres has a discontinuous structure within the spacing of structural elements in the intermicrofibrillar and intermolecular regions.