Abstract
THE real existence within the wool fibre of micelles which are impervious to water molecules and dyestuffs has only occasionally been suggested1 and never demonstrated. Two independent lines of investigation have recently converged, not only to prove the existence of micelles, but also to give some idea of their shape and dimensions, and the manner of attack by certain reagents. In an earlier paper,2 I was able to show that the size of the capillary spaces in the dry wool fibre is of the same order as the length of the n-propyl alcohol molecule. Whereas wool fibres in methyl alcohol and ethylene glycol are easily extensible, in butyl and amyl alcohols they resist extension to a degree closely similar to that of the perfectly dry fibre. When, however, the higher alcohols are mixed with methyl alcohol or ethylene glycol, these latter reagents enter the fibre and cause it to swell, opening the pores until they are able to admit the larger molecules. This is well illustrated by a comparison of the properties of wool fibres in octyl alcohol, ethylene glycol, and mixtures of the two. The potential energy necessary to extend fibres 30 per cent of their length in the various media at 22.2° C. was determined and typical results are quoted below:
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SPEAKMAN, J. The Micelle Structure of the Wool Fibre. Nature 126, 565 (1930). https://doi.org/10.1038/126565a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/126565a0
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