Expanding the Use of the Rapid Ninhydrin Test Method

Abstract

The rapid ninhydrin test method established for measuring wool damage in car bonizing has been expanded to examine wool hydrolysis in various wet treatments. bleaching, and exposure to light and to dry heat. The pH range from about 3 to 8.5 was safe for wet treatments, but the extent of hydrolysis damage in wet treatments at 100°C for 1 hour, even in the safe pH range, was greater than that with carbonizing. If the temperature of the wet treatments could be reduced to 90°C. the extent of hydrolysis would reduce to half of its value at 100°C. Wool was highly sensitive to hydrolysis under the action of light, but the action of dry heat did not appear to yield ninhydrin-positive extractable material.