The Action of Tetrakis(hydroxymethyl)phosphonium Chloride on Wool and Hair

Wool treated with THPC absorbs acid and premetallised dyes more readily than does untreated wool, and addition of THPC to solutions of premetallised dyes increases the rate at which the dye is taken up by the wool. Because of their ability to reduce the ·S·S· linkages in wool, solutions of THPC are effective setting agents, even at pH 1·3. Although oxidised, iodinated, and deaminated wools cannot be set in boiling water, they take a set in THPC solutions. Wool treated with potassium cyanide, however, cannot be set either in water or in THPC solutions.