RESEARCHES ON MERCERISED COTTON.
A. Fraenkel and P. Friedlaender (Mitt. k.-k. Techn. Gew. Mus., Wien, 1898, 326).
The authors, after investigation, are inclined to attribute the lustre of mercerised cotton to the absence of the cuticle, which is destroyed and removed in the process, partly by the chemical action of the alkali, and partly by the stretching at one or other stage of the process. The authors have investigated the action of alcoholic solutions of soda also. The lustre effects are not obtained unless the action of water is associated.
In conclusion, the authors give the following particulars of breaking strains and elasticity:—
| Treatment | Experiments | Breaking strain Grammes | Elasticity Elongation in mm. |
| Cotton unmercerised. | 1 | 360 | 20 |
| 2 | 356 | 20 | |
| 3 | 360 | 22 | |
| Mercerised with Soda 35°B. | 1 | 530 | 44 |
| 2 | 570 | 40 | |
| 3 | 559 | 35 | |
| Alcoholic soda 10 p.ct. cold | 1 | 645 | 24 |
| 2 | 600 | 27 | |
| 3 | 610 | 33 | |
| Alcoholic soda 10 p.ct. hot | 5 | 740 | 33 |
| 2 | 730 | 38 | |
| 3 | 690 | 30 |