Chemical Modification of Wool with Dicarbonyl Compounds in Dimethyl Sulfoxide

Abstract

Thirteen structurally diverse dicarbonyl compounds were used to modify arginine and lysine residues of wool chemically. Treatment in basic ethanol resulted in no ohservable weight gain. In contrast, when the reagents were applied in dimethyl sulfoxide in the presence of triethylamine, weight gains ranged from 1.5 to 7%. Amino acid analyses of hydrolysates of modified wool samples revealed that 1,2-cyclohexanedione and di (2-pyridyl) glyoxal modified only arginine side chains, whereas acenaphthenequinone and sodium 1,2-naphthoquinone-4-sulfonate were selective for lysine. Other compounds modified both lysine and arginine side chains. Several physical textile properties of the modified wools are reported.