Photochemical Decomposition of the Cystine in Wool

Abstract

The work reported in the present paper is a continua tion of earlier work on the photochemical decomposition of wool. The data confirm the hypothesis that the pri mary action of the radiation, which results in a change in the state of the sulfur and a corresponding lowering of the cystine content, is independent of the moisture in the system. The results indicate, however, that moisture plays an important role in the secondary process, namely that involving the evolution of hydrogen sulfide from the irradiated fibres. It is also shown that decom position of the cystine resulting from thermal reactions under the conditions of these experiments, is negligible.