Investigation of structural changes in wool fibers due to annealing

Structural changes in wool fibers after annealing, i.e., storage at 45°C and 80% RH, have been investigated by using the method of laser Raman spectroscopy and by measuring birefringence and density of wool. The results show that CH2 groups in wool give parallel Raman dichroism which increases very significantly after annealing. No increase in birefringence and density occurred after annealing. A hypothesis has been put forward which states that for minimum energy considerations in wool fibers the existence of intrahelix crosslinks other than hydrogen bonds is important. It is highly probable that a large number of electrovalent intrahelix crosslinkages exist between the suitable side groups on the main polypeptide chain in the α‐helix of annealed wool.