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Introduction

Rayon is a synthetic fiber produced from cellulose, which is the fibrous material that plants make by linking glucose molecules into long chains. Cellulose is extracted from wood pulp by removing lignin, resins, and minerals. There are two main processes for making rayon: the viscose process, in which cellulose is treated with caustic soda and carbon disulfide to produce a viscous solution, and the cuprammonium process, which dissolves cellulose in a solution containing copper-ammonia complexes. Rayon fibers are produced from these solutions by forcing them through spinnerets into acid or air to harden the fibers.

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342 views2 pages

Introduction

Rayon is a synthetic fiber produced from cellulose, which is the fibrous material that plants make by linking glucose molecules into long chains. Cellulose is extracted from wood pulp by removing lignin, resins, and minerals. There are two main processes for making rayon: the viscose process, in which cellulose is treated with caustic soda and carbon disulfide to produce a viscous solution, and the cuprammonium process, which dissolves cellulose in a solution containing copper-ammonia complexes. Rayon fibers are produced from these solutions by forcing them through spinnerets into acid or air to harden the fibers.

Uploaded by

soumalya481
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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INTRODUCTION

Rayon is a synthetic fiber produced from cellulose. Developed in an


attempt to produce silk chemically, it was originally called artificial silk or
wood silk. Rayon is a regenerated fiber, because cellulose is converted to
a liquid compound and then back to cellulose in the form of fiber. For
example, cuprammonium rayon is made by dissolving cellulose in an
ammoniacal copper sulphate solution.
The characteristics of rayon fibers are, they are:
Highly absorbent
Soft and comfortable
Easy to dye and
Drapes well.

Cellulose is natures own giant molecule. It is the fibrous material that


every plant from seaweed to the sequoia makes by baking glucose
molecules in long chains; the chains are bound together in the fibers that
give plants their shape and strength. Wood has now become the main
source of cellulose. Since it contains only 40% to 50% cellulose, the
substance must be extracted by pulping. The logs are flaked, and then
simmered in chemicals that dissolve the tarry lignin, resins and minerals.
The remaining pulp, about 93% cellulose, is dried and rolled into sheetsraw material for paper, rayon and other products.
It can be obtained in two ways:

Viscose Process: Cellulose is soaked in 30% caustic soda solution for


about 3 hrs. The alkali solution is removed and the product is treated with
CSi. This gives cellulose xanthate, which is dissolved in NaOH solution to
give viscous solution. This is filtered and forced through a spinneret into a
dilute H2SO4 solution, both of which harden the gum like thread into rayon
fibers. The process of making viscose was discovered by C.F.Cross and
E.J.Bevan in 1891.

Cuprammonium Rayon: Cuprammonium rayon is obtained by


dissolving pieces of filter paper in a deep blue solution containing tetraammine cupric hydroxide. The latter is obtained from a solution of copper
sulphate. To it, NH4OH solution is added to precipitate cupric hydroxide,
which is then dissolved in excess of NH/.
Reactions: CuSO4+ 2NH4OH Cu(OH)2+ (NH4)2S04 Pale blue ppt.
Cu(OH) 2 + 4NH4OH [Cu(NH3)4](0H)

+ 4H2O

[Cu(NH3) 4](0H)2 + pieces of filter paper left for 10-15 days


give a viscous solution called VISCOSE.

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