The Determination of Sulphur in Wool

Abstract

A modification of Pregl's micromethod for the determination of sulphur in organic compounds has been found to be satisfactory and convenient when applied on a macro scale to wool.The investigation of various methods of cleaning the samples shows that the best results are obtained when the wool wax is extracted with a solvent before washing with water. It is shown that a treatment with dilute hydrochloric acid is not necessary in preparing the sample.Three different procedures have been followed in determining the dry weight of the sample and the differences in the results are discussed. Results obtained by the new method are compared with those obtained by other recognized methods, and the agreement with the results of the Benedict-Denis-Barritt method is shown to be very good.

The application of biosurfactants for scouring wool

“…Saponins are an important class of biosurfactant. Soapnuts have significant levels of saponins and have been used for domestic laundering and cleaning historical textiles for a long time [38], and are also used for cleaning wool in research studies [39,40]. Pliny the Elder wrote that 'It furnishes a juice that is extensively employed in washing wool, and it is quite wonderful how greatly it contributes to the whiteness and softness of wool'.…”

“…. Soapnuts have significant levels of saponins and have been used for domestic laundering and cleaning historical textiles for a long time , and are also used for cleaning wool in research studies . Saponins are used as medicines and have been investigated in industrial processing and environmental remediation .…”

The Growth and Composition of Wool III. Variations in the Sulphur Content of Wool

“…In contrast, Marston (1928) concluded that the sulphur content of wool taken from a variety of fleeces was constant at c. 3·6%, but he stated that it was sometimes necessary to equilibrate the wool in O·OlN HCI to obtain this sulphur content. However, many analyses lower than 3·6% sulphur have been recorded, and Barritt and King (1933) and Larose and Tweedie (1937a) found no change in the sulphur content of several wool samples when treated with HCI. There is now ample evidence (Larose and Tweedie 1937b;Reis and Schinckel 1963) that the sulphur content of wool is variable and the extent of variation is even greater than that originally found by~Barritt and King.…”