AbstractThe reactivity of mercerized, ethanol‐washed, never‐dried cotton, as indicated by acetylation, is higher than that of mercerized, water‐washed, never‐dried cotton. Hygroscopicity measurements indicate that the ethanol‐washed cotton is not fully amorphous. They also reveal that the accessibility of cotton treated with caustic soda solution of mercerizing strength will be higher than that of cotton treated with ethylamine regardless of whether water or a solvent of lower hydrogen‐bonding capacity is used to extract the swelling agent. Based on microscopic examination, acetylation of mercerized, ethanol‐washed fibers apparently takes place relatively uniformly. The breaking load of cotton fibers is similar to that of mercerized, ethanol‐washed cotton fibers of about 8 acetyl content. However, the crystallinity of these materials, as shown by hygroscopicity studies, is markedly different. This indicates that the fine structure of the cotton fiber can be modified considerably without causing a loss in strength. Yarn tensile tests indicate that mercerized, ethanol‐washed cotton yarn with acetyl content between 10 and 30 has a breaking load which is about 12 lower th
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