In an attempt to obtain disulfide-enriched wool (fibers and fabrics), the reaction of wool with a disulfide-containing crosslinking agent, that is, bis (β-isocyanatoethyl) disulfide (BIED), was studied in dimethylformamide. BIED reacted mono-and bifunctionally with wool to form branches and crosslinks, respectively. The crosslinking efficiencies in the percent ratio of the number of the crosslinks (inter-and intrachenic) formed to the total disulfide introduced, which were obtained before and after reduction, ranged from 48% to 66%. The crosslink density of a BIED-treated fiber sample was determined by the method of Arai and Hanyu from Young's modulus in aqueous LiBr/butyl carbitol at 70°C. The crosslink density of the sample determined by the chemical analysis was 1.4 times that of the control wool, while the density determined from the physical method was two times. Supercontraction behavior of BIED-treated wool fibers was compared with that of hexamethylene diisocyanate-treated fibers in either an aqueous solution of NaHSO
3, a disulfide reducing agent, or in formamide, a hydrogen bond breaking reagent. Hexamethylene diisocyanatetreated wool fibers did not supercontract in both media, while BIED-treated wool fibers with a low add-on supercontracted in aqueous NaHSO
3 but did not in formamide. BIED-treated wool fibers with a higher add-on, however, did not supercontract in aqueous NaHSO
3, probably because the excessive introduction of hydrophobic new crosslinks interferes with the penetration of the reducing agent.
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