INDEX

S.N TOPIC
O
1. INTRODUCTION
2. HISTORY
3. THEORY
4. PROPERTIES AND FIBRE
PROPERTIES OVERVIEW
5. TYPES OF RAYON
6. PRODUCTION METHOD
7. APPLICATION ODF RAYON
THREAD
8. Experiment:

● Aim

● Apparatus
required
● Chemical
 reactions
involved
● Procedure

● Result

● Precautions
9. conclusion
10. bibiliography
INTRODUCTION :
Cellulose is
nature's own giant molecule. It is
the fibrous material that every plant
from seaweed to the sequoia make
by baking glucose molecules in long
chains; the chains are bound
together in the fibres that gives
plants their shape and strength.
Wood now has become the main
source of cellulose. Since it contains
only 40% to 50% cellulose,
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 sheets as raw material for
paper, rayon and other products.

Rayon is synthetic fibre produced

from cellulose. This natural base
gives it many of the characteristics-
low cost, diversity and comfort that
have led to its popularity and
success.

Regardless of the manufacturing

process rayon has only a single
source of raw material, natural
cellulose. The major sources of
natural cellulose are wood pulp
usually obtained from pine, spruce,
or hemlock trees.
It can be obtained by two
commercially viable methods:

1. Viscose process: In this process

cellulose is soaked in 30%
caustic soda solution for about 3
hours. The alkali solution is then
removed and the product is
treated with CSi. This gives
cellulose xanthates, which is
dissolved in NaOH solution to
give a viscous solution. This is
filtered and forced through a
spinneret into dilute solution of
H2SO4, both of which harden to
 form gum like thread into rayon
like fibres.this process of
making viscose was found by
C.F Cross and and E.J Bevan in
1891.
2. Cuprammonium rayon: In this
process cupprammonium rayon
is obtained by dissolving pieces
of filter paper in a deep blue
solution containing tetra-
ammine cupric hydroxide. The
latter is obtained from a solution
of copper sulphate. To
it,ammonium hydroxide solution
is added to precipitate cupric
hydroxide, which is then
dissolved in excess of NH4 Filter
paper is a quantitative paper
used for filtering and made of
pure cellulose treated with
hydrochloric and hydrofluoric
acid. This filter paper is used as
 a source for preparing rayon
thread using cuprammonium
process.

HISTORY :

For centuries humankind has relied

upon various plants and animals to
provide the raw materials for fabrics
and clothing. Silkworms,
sheep,beaver, buffalo deer, and
even palm leaves are just some of
the natural resources that have been
used to meet these needs. However,
in the last century scientists have
turned to chemistry and technology
to create and enhance many of the
fabrics we now take for granted.

There are two main categories of

man-made fibres: those that are
made from natural products and
those that are synthesized solely
from chemical compounds. Rayon is
synthetic fibre produced from
cellulose. This natural base gives it
many of the characteristics- low
cost, diversity and comfort that have
led to its popularity and success.
Developed in an attempt to produce
silk chemically, it was originally
called artificial silk or wool silk.
Today, rayon is considered to be one
of the most versatile and economical
man-made fibres available. It has
been called as "the laboratory's first
gift to the loom".

Schweizer, in 1857, published the

first paper dealing with the discovery
that an ammoniacal solution of
cupric oxide would dissolve cellulose.
This solution is commonly known in
the literature as Schweitzer's
reagent, E. A. Parnefl, in "Life and
Labors of John Mercer", states:
"Mercer appears to have been the
first to notice the remarkable action
which the ammoniacal solution of
cupric oxide exerts on cotton fibre".
The solubility of cellulose in
cuprammonium was first utilized by
the Bereinigte Glanzstoff-Fabriken A.
G. of Elberfleld, for the production of
rayon. This was one of the earliest
methods of producing rayon.
In the 1860's the French silk
industry was being threatened by a
disease. affecting the silkworm.
Louis Pasteur and Count Hilaire de
Chardonnet were studying this
problem with the hope of saving this
vital industry. During this crisis,
Chardonnet became interested in the
production of artificial silk. In 1885
he patented the first successful
process to produce a useable fibre
from. cellulose. Even though other
scientists have subsequently
developed more cost- effective ways
of making artificial silk. Chardonnet
is still considered as the
father of rayon.

For the next 40 years years this was

called artificial or imitation silk. By
1925 it had developed into an
industry onto itself and was given
the name rayon by the federal trade
commission. The term rayon at this
time was used to indicate any man
made fibre made from cellulose at
this time.

Today rayon is one of the most

widely used fabrics in our society. It
is made int countries across the
world. It can be blended with natural
or man made fabrics, treated with
enhancements and also made to
perform a variety of functions.

THEORY :
Of all the fibres, rayon is
probably the most perplexing to
consumers. It can be found in cotton
like end uses, as well as sumptuous
velvets and taffetas. It may function
successfully in absorbent and in well
absorbent hygiene and incontinence
pads and equally well providing
strength in tire conds.

Rayon was the first manufactured

fibre. The term rayon was officially
adopted by the textile industry,
unlike most manmade fibres, rayon
is not synthetic its is made from
wood pulp, a naturally occurring,
cellulose based raw material. As a
result, rayon properties are more
similar to those of natural cellulose
fibres, such as cotton or linen, than
those of thermoplastic, petroleum
based synthetic fibres, such as nylon
or polyester.
Although rayon is made from wood
pulp, a relatively inexpensive and
renewable resource, processing
requires high water and energy use,
and has contributed to air and water
pollution. Modernization of
manufacturing plants and combined
with availability of raw material has
increased rayon's
competitiveness in the market.

PROPERTIES :

Viscose rayon has a silk like

aesthetic with superb drape and feel
and retains its rich and brilliant
colours. Its cellulosic base
contributes to many properties
similar to those of cotton or other
natural cellulosic fibres. Rayon is a
moisture absorbent, breathable,
comfortable to wear, and easily died
in vivid colours. It does not build up
static electricity, nor will it pill unless
the fabric is made from short, low-
twist yarns.

Regular rayon has lengthwise lines

called striations and its cross-section
is an. indented circular shape. The
cross-sections of HWM and cupra
rayon are rounder. Filament rayon
yarns vary from 80 to 980 filaments
per yarn and vary in size from 40 to
5000 denier. Staple fibres range
from 1.5 to 15 denier and are
mechanically or chemically crimped.
Rayon fibres are naturally very
bright, but the addition of
delustering pigments cuts down on
this natural brightness.

Rayon is comfortable, soft to skin

and has moderate dry strength and
abrasion. resistance. Like other
cellulosic fibres, it is not resilient,
which means that it will wrinkle with
ease. Rayon withstands ironing
temperatures slightly less than that
of cotton. It may be attacked by
silverfish or termites, but generally
resist insect damage.

One of rayon's strength is its

versatility and ability to blend easily
with many fibres, sometimes to
reduce cost, other times for lustre,
softness, or absorbancy and
resulting comfort.

Rayon has moderate resistance to

acids and alkalis and generally the
fibre itself is not damaged by
bleaches; however dyes used in the
fabric may experience colour
change. As a cellulosic fibre rayon
will burn but flame retardant finishes
maybe applied.

High wet modulus rayon (HWM) is a

modified version of viscose that is
stronger when wet. It also has the
ability to be mercerized like cotton.
HWM rayons are also known as
"polynosic." Polynosic fibers are
dimensionally stable, and do not
shrink or get pulled out of shape
when wet like many rayons. They
are also wear resistant and strong
while maintaining a soft, silky feel.
They are sometimes identified by the
trade name Modal.

High-tenacity rayon is another

modified version of viscose that has
almost twice the strength of HWM.
This type of rayon is typically used
for industrial purposes
such as tire cord.

FIBRE PROPERTIES OVERVIEW :

● It loses a great deal of strength
when wet. Because of this, it
stretches and shrinks more than
cotton.
● Poor due to inelasticity of the
fibres. It is easily damages by
scraping and will pill on the
surface of the cloth.

● Because of its excessive

flammability, it inspired the
flammable fabrics act. The FFA
was enacted by the U.S.
department of commerce in
1953in response to public concern
over a number of serious burn
accidents involving brushed rayon
high pile sweaters and children
cowboy chaps which could easily
catch fire and flash burn.
 ● No static build up

TYPES OF RAYON FIBRES :

Joyce
Smith in her paper on rayon for Ohio
State University Extension, identifies
4 major types of modifications of
Rayon. These are

● Regular or (Viscose) Rayon

● HWM High Wet Modulus

Rayon- 'Modal' rayon High
Tenacity Rayon-mainly
industrial uses - like cords and
in tires
● Cupramonium Rayon.

PRODUCTION METHOD :
Regular rayon (or viscose) is the
most widely produced form of rayon.
This method of rayon production has
been used since the early 1900s and
it has the ability to produce either
filament or staple fibres. The process
is as follows:

The steps involved in commercial

manufacture of rayon in industries
can be summarized broad
into the following
1. Cellulose:

Production begins with processed

cellulose (obtained from wood pulp
and plant fibers). The cellulose
content in the pulp should be around
87% to 97%.

2. Immersion:

The cellulose is dissolved in caustic

soda: (C6H10Os)+ NaOH(CHOONa)
+nH₂O is the chemical reaction. The
reaction converts cellulose to alkali
cellulose and removes impurities.

3. Pressing:
4 The solution is then pressed
between rollers to remove excess
liquid. The pressing is done in
accordance with the press-weight
ratio. Press weight ratio is the ratio
between the pressed alkali cellulose
sheet weight to the weight of air
dried pulp. It is adjusted to 2.7-3.

4. "White Crumb":

The pressed sheets are crumbled or

shredded to produce what is known
as "white crumb."

5. Ageing:

The "white crumb" is aged through

exposure to oxygen. This is a
depolymerization step and is avoided
in case of polynosics.

6. "Xanthation":

The aged "white crumb" is mixed

with carbon disulfide in a process
known as "Xanthation," in which the
aged alkali cellulose crumbs are
placed in vats and are allowed to
react with carbon disulfide under
controlled temperature (20 to 30 °C)
to form cellulose xanthate:

7. "Orange-Yellow Crumb":

The Xanthation changes the

chemical makeup of the cellulose
mixture, and the resulting product is
now called "yellow crumb." This
orange coloration is due to the
formation of sodium
trithiocarbonate (Na₂CS3).

8. Viscose:

The "yellow crumb" is dissolved in a

caustic solution to form viscose,

9. Ripening:

The viscose is set to stand for a

period of time, allowing it to ripen:
(CH,O.O-SC-SNa) + nh;O → (CH,Os)
+ nCSz+nNaOH is the reaction.

10. Filtering:
After ripening, the viscose is filtered
to remove any undissolved particles.

11.Degassing:

Any bubbles of air are pressed from

the viscose in a degassing process.

12.Extruding:

The viscose solution is extruded

through a spinneret, which
resembles a shower head with
many small holes.

Osearch document
3016

As the viscose exits the spinneret, it

lands in a bath of sulfuric acid,
resulting in the formation of rayon
filaments. The acid is used as a
regenerating agent. It converts
cellulose xanthate back to cellulose.
The regeneration step is rapid which
doesn't allow proper orientation of
cellulose molecules. So to delay the
process of regeneration, zinc
sulphate is used in the bath which
converts cellulose xanthate to zinc
cellulose xanthate thus providing
time for proper orientation to take
place before regeneration.

The spinning of viscose rayon fibre is

done using a wet spinning process.
The filaments are allowed to pass
through a coagulation bath after
extrusion from the spinneret holes.
Two-way mass transfer takes place.

15.Drawing:

The rayon filaments are stretched, in

a procedure known as drawing, to
straighten out the fibres.

The fibres are then washed to

remove any residual chemicals from
them.
17 cutting :

If filament fibres are desired, then

the process ends here. The filaments
are cut down when
producing staple fibres.
APPLICATION OF RAYON FIBRES :

● Rayon typically has an elevated

luster quality giving it a brilliant
gloss
● Some rayon fibres are for filling in
Zippo lighters, furnishings
including bedspreads, bedsheets,
blankets, window covers,
upholstery and slipcovers.
 ● For industrial purposes such as
medical surgery products, non-
woven items, tire cord and some
other uses like diapers, towels,
feminine hygiene products.

EXPERIMENT :

AIM:
The main objective of the
project is to prepare rayon thread
from cuprammonium process.
Instead of using wood pulp as the
cellulose source, attempt is done to
make use of raw cellulose products
such as filter paper.

REQUIREMENTS :
 Beakers, conical
flasks, filtration flasks, vacuum
pump, bent tube, glass rod, 50%
ammonia solution, dil. NaOH
solution, dil. H2SO4, filter paper,
or waste paper.
CHEMICAL REACTION INVOLVED :
Dilute NaOH solution is added to a
solution of copper sulphate solution
to form a precipitate of Cu(OH)2.

CuSO, +2NaOH-Cu(OH)2+Na,SO,
The precipitate is transferred into a
beaker containing liquor ammonia
resulting in the formation of a deep
blue solution of cuprammonium
hydroxide.

Cu(OH)2+ 4NH4OH→ [Cu(NH3)4]

(OH)2+ 4H₂O
Dissolving filter paper in
cuprammonium hydroxide solution
leave out a viscose solution called
viscose.
PROCEDURE :
The cellulose is
dissolved in cuprammonium
hydroxide [Cu(NH3)4](OH); and the
procedure to be
followed is given below.
1. To prepare cuprammonium
hydroxide solution: Weigh about
20.0 g of crystalline copper sulphate
in a clean watch glass. Dissolve it in
100 ml of water taken in a beaker.
Add dilute NaOH solution to this
solution slowly with stirring and note
the separation of precipitate of
Cu(OH)2. Filter the precipitate on
water pump and wash the
precipitate thoroughly with water so
that a portion of filtrate does not
indicate presence of sulphate ions on
testing with BaCl2 solution. Now
transfer the precipitate to a 250 ml
beaker add 50 ml of liquor ammonia.
The precipitate will dissolve resulting
in a deep blue solution of
cuprammonium hydroxide
(Schweitzer's solution). This is the
solvent for dissolving cellulose.
2. Dissolving the cellulose matter:
Weigh about 1 g of ordinary filter
paper and cut it into small pieces.
Add these pieces to the
cuprammonium solution taken in a
conical flask. Close the flask with
rubber stopper and allow it to stand
for 3-4 days. In this time, filter
paper completely dissolves leaving a
viscous solution called viscose.

3. Formation of rayon filament:

The viscose solution is taken in
a syringe. Then the nozzle of
the syringe is dipped in a 5M
H₂SO solution taken in a wide
mouthed beaker. Squeeze out
the viscous into the acid solution
and at the same time keep on
moving the nozzle in the acid.
Long filaments of rayon will be
formed in the beaker. The acid
bath is left undisturbed for 24
hours, until the blue colour of
rayon filament changes to
white. Rayon filaments are then
removed from the acid bath,
washed with water and dried by
keeping them on filter paper.
When the threads are
completely dried, weigh them
and determine the maximum
length of the fibre formed.
RESULT :
Thus we successfully
prepare rayon thread using filter
papers. The results show here that
the rayon threads thus formed are
used only for the sole
purpose of sampling.
PRECAUTIONS :
1. Addition of excess
of liquor of ammonia should be
avoided.

2. Before taking the viscose into the

syringe, make sure that it doesn't
have any pieces of paper otherwise
the bits of paper tend to clog the
needle of syringe.

3. Addition of liquor ammonia should

be performed in a fume cupboard
with extra care otherwise the GB if
inhaled cause heavy giddiness.

4. Prefer using a thick needle

otherwise the fibres wont come out
with preffered thickness and quality.
 CONCLUSION
The cuprammonium method of
producing rayon is a convenient
method to produce rayon threads.
Rayon being the most commonly
used thread in the embroidery
industry, is relatively inexpensive
and has a beautiful sheen. The
answer is because rayon is weak and
not colourfast. It is not the
recommended quality fibre for
quilting or embroidery. Because
rayon is manufactured from
naturally occurring polymers, it is
considered a semi-synthetic fibre.
Specific of rayon includes viscose,
modal and lyocell, each of which
differs in manufacturing process and
the properties of finished products.
 BIBILIOGRAPHY
1. https://www.scribd.com
2. https://www.wikipedia.org/
wiki/rayon
3. https://www.chemistryguru.com