Ammonical copper oxide solution is also known as cuprammonium hydroxide solution. 1.

The one important characteristic of these fibres is their extreme fineness. Filaments as fine as1.33 deniers are produced regularly ( as compared to viscose rayon which have a usual denier of around 2.5). This increased fineness is due to the stretch that is applied to the filaments duringspinning.2. Because of its fineness, cuprammonium rayons produce a soft silk like handle.3. It has all the properties of cotton except that the average DP is lower and a larger portion of this fibre is occupied by amorphous regions. Hence the rayon swells to a greater extent andhence chemical reactions take place faster in the case of rayon than in case of cotton.4. Like viscose rayon it burns rapidly and chars at 180 deg C. It is degraded and weakened byexposure to sunlight in the presence of oxygen and moisture. On ignition, it leaves behind ashcontaining copper.5. The average tensile strength of cuprammonium rayon is 1.7-2.3 in dry and 0.9-2.5 in wetstate.6. It has an elongation at break of 10-17% when dry.7. Moisture content at 70 deg F and 65% RH is about 11% as in case of Viscose Rayon.8. Dye absorption power for direct dyes of cuprammonium rayon is greater and shades obtainedare deeper than viscose rayon.9. The filaments appear uniform with surfaces having no markings, in the longitudinal view.Cross sections are round and smooth with occasionally slightly oval.(Like Viscose Rayon, cuprammonium rayon is also a regenerated cellulose fibre. Cotton linters are usedas the source of cellulose for this rayon.Ammonical copper oxide solution is also known as cuprammonium hydroxide solution. Cuprammoniumhydroxide solution is a solvent for cellulose. When a solution of cellulose in cuprammonium hydroxide isdiluted with water or treated with dilute sulphuric acid, the cellulose is regenerated or reprecipitated.By using a spinnerette, filaments of this regenerated cellulose can be produced. Manufacture of Cuprammonium Rayon The source of cellulose for this rayon is cotton linters, the purification of cotton linters is carried out in two stages:a. Mechanical Treatmentb. Chemical Treatment Mechanical Treatment The cotton linters are transported in bales in highly compressed state and the object of the mechanicaltreatment is to loosen them and to remove mechanically admixed and loosly bound impurities such asdust sand, seed residues etc. Chemical Tratment The mechanically opened and purified cotton linters are boiled under pressure for several hours withdilute sod ash ( Na2Co3) solution (2%) to which a little amount of caustic soda may be added. Thenatural fatty matter present in the cotton is converted into soluble substance by the action of soda ashand thus removed from cotton linters. Dissolution of Cellulose In this, a solution of hydrated copper sulphate in 300-400 liters of water is introduced in a vessel atordinary temperature with stirring. Some sugar is also added followed by caustic soda solution to formcopper hydroxide.Ground linters suspended in water are added to the above mixture to form copper cellulose.The copper cellulose is filtered to remove the liquid, well ground and dissolved in a solution of ammoniain water. Spinning Solution

By adding certain compounds to the cuprammonium cellulose solution, the solution is made moresuitable for spinning. These compounds include glycerine, glucose, tartaric acid, citric acid, oxalic acid,can sugar etc. Stretch Spinning In the spinning process, the cuprammonium cellulose solution is discharged through nozzles (spinnerette) into a solution of sulphuric acid in the form of relatively thick threads which aresubsequently pulled( stretched ) to very fine filaments.) Rayon is a manufactured regeneratedcellulose fiber . Because it is produced from naturallyoccurring polymers, it is neither a trulysynthetic fiber nor anatural fiber ; it is asemi-synthetic [1] or artificial [2] fiber. Rayon is known by the names viscoserayon and art silk in thetextile industry. It usually has a high luster quality giving it a bright sheen, Schweizer's re ag e nt is the chemicalcomplextetraamminediaquacopper dihydroxide,[Cu(NH 3 ) 4 (H 2 O) 2 ](OH) 2 . It is prepared by precipitatingcopper(II) hydroxidefrom anaqueous solution of copper sulfateusingsodium hydroxideor ammonia, then dissolving the precipitate in a solution of ammonia.When the entire amount of copper is precipitated as hydroxide, it is a good idea to filter it anddispose of the filtrate and rinse the precipitate from sulfate and other excess ions.It forms a deep azure solution. If the solution is evaporated, it leaves light blue precipitate of copper hydroxide. This is because the formation of the tetraminocupric complex is reversible andammonia evaporates together with the water. If the evaporation is conducted under stream of ammonia, then deep blue needle-like crystals are formed. These crystals should be kept inisolation or in ammonia atmosphere.Schweizer's reagent finds use in production of celluloseproducts such asrayonandcellophane, because wood-pulp, cotton fiber, and other natural cellulose sources are soluble in the solution.Dissolved cellulose precipitates when the solution is acidified. PRODUCTION OF

CUPRAMMONIUM RAYON PURPO SE In this demonstration rayon fiber is produced by the use of four common substance: sodiumhydroxide, ammonium hydroxide, copper sulfate, and paper. This method demonstrates one of the earliest techniques of producing this famous polymer, called cuprammonium rayon. D ES CRIPTION This demonstration is appropriate for a general or first-year college-prep course. It shows thestudents the method of preparation of one of the first mass-produced synthetic fibers. It would fitvery well with the organic sections found in most introductory texts. TIM E R EQ UIR E D One class period. MAT E RIAL S