A Study of the Polymerisation of Methacrylamide in Wool

Methacrylamide has been found to have little affinity for wool, the maximum absorption from a 4% solution being equivalent to only 2.6% of the weight of wool. Absorption, which is initially fast, reaches equilibrium in about 16 hr. and is directly proportional to the molarity of the solution, the activation energy for a 4% solution being 800 g.cal./mole. As pretreatment of the wool with alcoholic alkali increases the rate of absorption, the rate‐controlling process is probably diffusion through the fibre‐surface. Wool containing polymethacrylamide shows an increased absorption‐rate for monomer, the activation energy being 8000 g.cal./mole. Amounts of polymer considerably in excess of the maximum absorption of monomer can be formed in wool; to explain this, it is considered that there is a rapid replacement of monomer in the wool to compensate for that removed during polymerisation, and that this continues until polymerisation is terminated.