Hydroxyaliphatic acids in branched copolymers with acyl chloride‐terminated long side chains: A new shrink‐resist treatment for wool

Two synthetic routes were followed to prepare graft copolymers with long side chains containing acyl chloride terminal groups. In the first of these methods acryloxy aliphatic acyl chlorides were synthesized from ricinoleic acid, 12‐hydroxystearic acid and 10‐hydroxydecanoic acid and then polymerized with other acrylate ester comonomers. In the second procedure, a prepolymer was formed by copolymerizing acryloyl chloride with acrylate esters. The prepolymer then was treated with 12‐hydroxystearic acid or 9(10)‐hydroxymethylstearic acid to produce polymers with side chains having terminal carboxylic acid groups. These polymers were made more reactive by conversion to acid chlorides. The active polymers were applied to wool fabrics; the imparted shrink‐resistance was durable under an accelerated wash test procedure. An added advantage of the treatment is a soft “hand” or feel resulting from internal plasticization of the polymer coating.