Identification and quantification of cotton-bound, cyclic polycarboxylic acids by means of isocratic HPLC.

Cotton fabrics are modified by means of polycarboxylic acids (PCA) in combination with an inorganic catalyst in order to impart durable press properties. To evaluate the effectiveness of cyclic PCA, 100% cotton fabrics were treated with 1,2,3,4,5,6-cyclohexanehexacarboxylic acid (CH-HCA), 1,3,5-cyclohexanetricarboxylic acid (CH-TCA), 1,2,3,4-cyclopentanetetracarboxylic acid (CP-TCA), and 1,2,3,4-tetrahydrofurantetracarboxylic acid (THF-TCA) in combination with sodium hypophosphite (SHP) as catalyst. The amount of PCA that reacted with the cellulosic material was determined by means of isocratic HPLC (Aminex HPX-87-H). The results clearly indicate that the cyclic PCA are less effective in respect of durable press performance. CH-TCA does not react with the cellulosic material thus confirming the assumption that the crosslinking reaction between PCA and the cellulose proceeds via a five-membered cyclic anhydride.