Burlington testing Scott copolymerization process Surface treatment of textile materials to impart improved performance may become passe in six months to a year, should Scott Paper's graft copolymerization process prove successful. Putting the process through its paces is Burlington Industries, Greensboro, N.C. Scott has turned over its patented technology to the big fabric producer for commercial development and possible later worldwide licensing. The focal point for this venture is that no known surface treatment offers much hope for upgrading less expensive fibers, such as cotton and rayon, to match or approach the performance of synthetic and other relatively expensive fibers. Where does graft copolymerization fit into the picture? According to Scott, the process is not a coating or impregnating method. It involves chemical union of a base fiber and a synthetic organic compound. The result is a modified fiber which exhibits a combination of properties possessed by the original fiber and the synthetic organic compounds as well. These properties include: greater bulk, resiliency, and flame retardancy for rayon textiles, and fast drying characteristics, dimensional stability, and rot resistance for cotton fabrics. The process, on which Scott holds five U.S. patents-3,330,787; 3,340,326; 3,357,933; 3,359,222; and 3,359,224—was invented in 1963 by the Philadelphia company's Dr. Robert W. Faeffinger and Dr. John S. Conte. It uses two key steps in the modification of textile fibers or fabrics. First, Dr. Faeffinger explains, a base fiber or cellulose substrate is sub-
Signing of agreement Fiber plus organic compound
jected to a mild alkali (sodium hydroxide) treatment and, at the same time, exposed to sulfur-containing compounds to activate the substrate. As a result, a reactive intermediate—cellulosic thiocarbonate—is derived from the original substrate. The intermediate physically resembles the original fiber. In the second step, the activated substrate and an emulsion or solution of monomers are brought together, with polymerization initiated by a peroxide catalyst to form the graft. The entire process is carried out at 50° to 60° C. Studies show that for most monomer systems the conversion of monomer to polymer is 90 to 100%, Dr. Faeffinger says. Grafting is 95 to 100% effective. This precludes removal of homopolymer, a process that characterizes other grafting methods. One drawback to the process is that it doesn't work with polyesters, acrylics, and polypropylene. The reason, Dr. Faeffinger notes, is that these products lack enough hydroxy, amino, or thio groups to effect thiocarbonate formation, thus preventing copolymerization.
Legal, ethical questions not the province of scientists Geneticists should not be asked to make critical judgments on the legal and ethical questions arising from genetic research and development. This was the suggestion made last week by Nobel Prize-winning geneticist Arthur Kornberg, who made scientific history at Stanford University by synthesizing a deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) that's biologically active (C&EN, Dec. 18, 1967, page 2 1 ) , to the Senate Subcommittee on Government Research. The subcommittee is holding hearings on a proposal (S.J. Res. 145) by Sen. Walter Mondale (D.-Minn.) to create a blue-ribbon national commission to investigate ethical and moral implications of biomedical advances. Dr. Kornberg and another Nobel Prize-winning geneticist, Dr. Joshua Lederberg (also of Stanford), were generally critical of the scope of Sen. Mondale's proposal but said they would support a commission to deal with federal, legal, and budgetary problems raised by organ transplants. Sen. Mondale and others are concerned about the moral and social implications of modern medical research. "In the past with advancing technology we have been too late, too secret, and too superficial in too many cases," Sen. Mondale said. "One of
the results is the terror of automationproduced unemployment. Another is the terror of the nuclear holocaust. The third might be a brave new world." But in this case, he added, we have the opportunity for previous public and penetrating examination of implications of developing technologies in health science. Scientists involved in creation of the atomic and hydrogen bomb have done a lot of soul-searching since, Sen. Abraham Ribicoff (D.-Conn.) said. In response to prodding by Sen. Ribicoff and Sen. Mondale, Dr. Kornberg told the subcommittee that "there are absolutely no scientific rewards in terms of furthering scientific skill by involving oneself in public issues. Scientists deal with molecules, impersonal objects, and you get rusty quickly. The more I am out of that area, the less competent I am in that field." The public should be educated about the recent research on genes and heredity so it can participate in and anticipate decisions on legal and ethical questions that arise, he added. When Sen. Ribicoff expressed concern that genetic engineering could lead to creation of a master race by altering genes, Dr. Kornberg assured him that the chances are "very remote." Genetic engineering, he said, is directed toward simpler and welldefined problems such as curing genetically originated diseases. Although Dr. Kornberg admitted that some persons might abuse this work in the future, he foresees "no ethical or moral problems that face us today that are different in kind or quality with the new knowledge of genes and gene action."
New draft rules paint bleak picture, survey shows A survey released last week by the Scientific Manpower Commission brings into sharp focus the far-reaching effects on graduate schools of the new draft rules ending deferments for most graduate students. The survey paints an extremely bleak picture for schools, students, and industrial recruiters alike, particularly in scientific and technical areas. For example: • Enrollment of males entering fulltime graduate study next year will be down a staggering 70% from that of the current academic year. • Total graduate enrollment (male and female) will drop 50% in next year's first-year class and 3 3 % in the second-year class. • Hardest hit will be graduate study in specific, heavily male-oriented disciplines, such as the physical sciences and engineering, where in some inMARCH 18, 1968 C&EN
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