- Author
- Vigo, T. L. | Collins, A. M. | Welch, C. M.
- Title
- Reaction of Cotton Cellulose With Phosphorus Trihalide-DMF Systems as an Experimental Approach to Flame-Retardant Fabrics.
- Keywords
- fabrics | flame retardants | cotton fabrics | cellulose | flame resistance | durability | flame resistant fabrics
- Abstract
- At room temperature cotton underwent rapid reaction with the addition product of phosphorus trichloride and dimethylformaide (DMF). This PCl3-DMF adduct is known to contain two moles of DMF per mole of phosphorus trichloride. The treatment was applied to cotton sateen to produce flame-retardant fabrics having high phosphorus contents and moderate percentages of nitrogen. The effect of reaction time, adduct concentration, wash procedure, and durability of the cellulosic product to home launderings was investigated. A mechanism is proposed for the initial reaction of this adduct with the cotton and its subsequent chemical behavior on the basis of elemental analyses and infrared spectra.