SYNTHETIC TEXTILE FIBERS — MAUERSBERGEB 219 



prominence since a patent was granted in May 1939 to Corn Products 

 Refining Co., of Argo, 111. Zein is obtained from corn and is soluble 

 in 75 percent alcohol, phenol, mixed solvents such as alcohol and 

 toluol, alcohol and xylene, and others. The zein, according to Swal- 

 len, of Corn Products Refining Co., is dissolved in aqueous alcohol 

 containing a proportion of formaldehyde, which is extruded into an 

 aqueous coagulating medium and the withdrawn filaments subjected 

 to a current of air heated to not above 100° C, skeined, then baked at 

 60°-90° C. for 8-10 hours. Up to the present time there have been 

 no difficulties in spinning zein filaments, but the product obtained, 

 when sufficiently insoluble in water, has been deficient in elasticity, 

 resiliency, and tensile strength in the dry and wet condition. They 

 can be dyed. Latest reports from Corn Products are that the work 

 on it has been suspended but may be revived at a later date. 



FIBROIN FILAMENTS 



The idea of obtaining a merchantable fiber from fibroin, a proteid 

 substance and the chief ingredient of raw silk, is in itself not new. 

 It is composed mainly of two constituents — probably proteins — which 

 comprise chemical combinations of alanine and glycocoll, with some 

 tyrosine. The problem for a long time was to find solvents for this 

 substance, which could be obtained from silk waste, old silk stockings, 

 and silk threads. 



The Japanese did considerable work in this field and samples of 

 some yarns, then termed "regenerated silk," came to this country in 

 1937. Samples from Max Baker were analyzed and investigation 

 showed that a patent and process had been devised in this country in 

 1923 by Abraham Furman. The patent was assigned to Corticelli 

 Silk Co., of New London, on May 13, 1924. The company tried the 

 process out and produced a 75 -denier yarn on a small scale from 

 cocoon waste and other raw and dyed silk noils and waste. The pro- 

 cedure in brief was as follows : The silk waste was cut into very short 

 lengths, boiled off twice, hydroextracted and dissolved in a chemical 

 solution, probably copper or nickel sulfate. The solution was then 

 forced through filters and piped to storage tanks. It was then de- 

 aerated and spun on spinnerettes, similar to rayon, with refrigeration, 

 and coagulated into an acid bath. Bleaching was not necessary and 

 the yarn was washed and finished in skeins. The lack of sufficient 

 strength and elasticity finally caused the Thames Artificial Silk Co. 

 and the Corticelli Co. to discard the process. The Japanese samples, 

 while a little better in strength, did not satisfy textile requirements. 

 Many other investigators, such as Galibert, Hoshino, Millar, Lance, 

 and others, are still trying to perfect this method, but so far none 

 has succeeded or undertaken commercial production anywhere. 



