This is the project that outlines the preparation of artificial silk or RAYON from cotton wool with the help of syringe and other easy available chemicals in the lab. Rithu AECS kudankulam

1. ATOMIC ENERGY CENTRAL SCHOOL
KUDANKULAM
CHEMISTRY INVESTIGATORY
PROJECT
(2018-19)
Name : Rithu
Class : XII
Roll No. :

2. CERTIFICATE
THIS IS TO CERTIFY THAT PROJECT
ENTITLED “ARTIFICIAL SILK EXPERIMENT”
IS A BONAFIDE CARRIED OUT BY 'RITHU'
UNDER MY SUPERVISION AND THE DATA
INCLUDED IN THE PROJECT IS GENUINE.
INTERNAL EXAMINER EXTERNAL
EXAMINER
(A.K. SINDHU)
PRINCIPAL
(G.V. SRINIVASA RAO)

3. ACKNOWLEDGMENT
I WOULD TO LIKE TO EXPRESS MY
SPECIAL THANKS OF GRATITUDE TO
MY TEACHER (A.K. SINDHU) AS WELL
AS OUR PRINCIPAL (G.V. SRINIVASA
RAO) WHO GAVE ME THE GOLDEN
OPPORTUNITY TO DO THIS WONDERFUL
PROJECT ON THE TOPIC (TO PREPARE
ARTIFICIAL SILK FROM COTTON
WOOL) , WHICH ALSO HELP ME IN
DOING A LOT OF RESEARCH AND I
CAME TO KNOW ABOUT SO MANY
NEW THINGS. I AM REALLY THANKFUL
TO THEM.
SECONDLY, I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO
THANK MY PARENTS AND FRIENDS
WHO HELPED ME A LOT IN FINALIZING
THIS PROJECT WITHIN THE LIMITED
TIME FRAME.

4. INDEX
S.R.
NO.
TITLE PAGE
NO.
1 AIM 1
2 INTRODUCTION 2
3 MATERIALS REQUIRED 5
4 PROCEDURE 5
5 RESULT 8
6 PRECAUTIONS 9
7 CONCLUSION 10
8 RESULT 13

5. AIM:
TO PREPARE ARTIFICIAL
SILK FROM COTTON WOOL

6. INTRODUCTION
CELLULOSE IS A NATURE'S OWN GIANT
MOLECULE. IT IS THE FIBROUS MATERIAL
THAT EVERY PLANT FROM SEA WEED TO
THE SEQUOIA MAKES BY BAKING
GLUCOSE MOLECULES IN LONG CHAINS.
THE CHAIINS 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
DISSOLVED THE TARRY LIGNIN, RESINS
AND MINERALS. THE REMAINING PULP
ABOUT 93% CELLULOSE IS DRIED AND

7. ROLLED INTO SHEETS-RAW MATERIAL
FOR PAPER, RAYON AND OTHER
PRODUCTS. IT CAN OBTAINED IN 2 WAYS:
1. VISCOSE PROCESS:
CELLULOSE IS SOAKED IN 30% CASTIC
SODA SOLUTION FOR ABOUT 3
HOURS. THE ALKALI SOLUTION IS
REMOVED AND THE PRODUCT IS
TREATED WITH CS2 . THIS GIVES
CELLULOSE XANTHATE, WHICH IS
DISSOLVED IN NAOH SOLUTION TO
GIVE VISCOUS SOLUTION. THIS IS
FILTERED AND FORCED THROUGH THE
SPINNERET INTO DILUTE
H2SO4 SOLUTIONS, 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
IN1891.

8. 2. ARITIFICIAL SILK (CUPRO) :
ARTIFICIAL SILK IS OBTAINED BY
DISSOLVING COTTON WOOL BALLS IN
A DEEP BLUE COPPER AMMINE
COMPLEX. THE LATTER IS OBTAINED
BY DISSOLVING AMMONIA SOLUTION
INTO COPPER (II) CARBONATE
HYDROXIDE. TO IT SULPHURIC ACID
(H2SO4) IS ADDED AND CUPRO, AN
ARTIFICIAL SILK IS OBTAINED.
REACTIONS:
CU(OH)2 CO3 + 8NH3.H2O ----
(GREEN)
[CU(NH3)4]CO3 + [CU(NH3)4](OH)2 + 8 H2O

9. (DEEP BLUE COLOUR)
MATERIALS REQUIRED :
COPPER (II) CARBONATE HYDROXIDE,
AMMONIA SOLUTION, COTTON WOOL,
GLASS BEAKER, SYRINGE, SULPHURIC
ACID.
PROCEDURE :
 ADD COPPER (II) CARBONATE
HYDROXIDE INTO A BEAKER.
 TO THE ABOVE BEAKER, ADD
AMMONIA SOLUTION.
 A DEEP BLUE COPPER AMMINE
COMPLEX IS FORMED.
 THE SOLUTION IS DECANTED INTO
ANOTHER GLASS BEAKER IN ORDER

10. TO SEPARATE PRECIPITATE FROM IT.
 PUT SOME COTTON WOOL BALL IN
THIS GLASS BEAKER. THE COTTON
WOOL CONSISTS OF CELLULOSE.
 CELLULOSE FORMS A COMPLEX WITH
THE COPPER IONS AND DISSOLVES
BECAUSE OF THIS.
 SUCK THE WOOL WITH THE HELP OF
SYRINGE.
 THE COMPLEX IS ADDED TO A
SOLUTION OF SULPHERIC ACID WITH
THE HELP OF SYRINGE. IN AN ACIDIC
MEDIUM, THE CELLULOSE
REGENERATES IN THE FORM OF LONG
FIBRES.
 THE COPPER – CELLULOSE COMPLEX
IN THE FIBRES MAKES THEM BLUE.
 WHEN IN AN ACIDIC MEDIUM, THE
COMPLEX GRADUALLY BREAKS UP
AND THE FIBRES BECOME

11. COLOURLESS.
 NOW, TAKE OUT THE ARTIFICIAL SILK
CAREFULLY OUT OF THE BEAKER AND
PLACE IT ON A WATCH GLASS.
AT THE SAME TIME, COPPER IONS
COLOUR THE SOLUTION BLUE.
 CUPRO, AN ARTIFICIAL SILK ALSO
KNOWN AS 'RAYON' IS MADE OF
FIBRES THAT ARE PRODUCED THIS
WAY.

12. RESULT :
RAYON (ARTIFICIAL SILK) IS PREPARED
FROM COTTON WOOL.

13. PRECAUTIONS :
● DO NOT TOUCH ANY CHEMICAL
WITH HAND AS SOME OF THEM MAY
BE CORROSIVE.
● DO NOT USE CRAKED GLASS
APPARATUS SUCH AS BEAKERS.
● USE A THICK NEEDLE OTHERWISE
FIBRES WON'T COME OUT.
● THE APPARATUS USED FOR
PREPARING DEEP BLUE COPPER
AMMINE COMPLEX SHOULD BE
ABSOLUTELY CLEAN.
● MAKE SURE THAT THE NEEDLE
OF THE SYRINGE IS NOT CLOGGED.
● NEVER TASTE A CHEMICAL OR
PLACE A CHEMICAL ON THE PALM OF
YOUR HAND.
● DO NOT THROW SOLID WASTE

14. MATERIAL LIKE WET COTTON WOOL,
TEST TUBE PIECES ETC IN THE SINK.
CONCLUSION :
RYON HAS SILK-LIKE AESTHETIC WITH
SUPERB DRAPE AND FEEL AND RETAINS
ITS RICH BRILLIANT COLOURS. ITS
CELLULOSIC BASE CONTRIBUTES MANY
PROPERTIES SIMILIAR TO THOSE OF
COTTON OR ANY OTHER NATURAL
CELLULOSIC FIBRES. RYON IS MOISTURE
ABSORBENT, BREATHABLE,
COMFORTABLE, TO WEAR AND EASILY
DYED IN VIVID COLOURS.
RYON IS COMFORTABLE, SOFT TO THE
SKIN AND HAS MODERATE DRY
STRENGTH AND ABRASION
RESISTANCE. LIKE OTHER CELLULOSIC
FIBRES, IT IS NOT RESILIENT, WHICH
MEANS IT WILL WRINKLE. RYON
WITHSTANDS IRONING TEMPERATURE
SLIGHLY LESS THAN THAT OF COTTON.

15. IT MAY BE ATTACKED BY TERMITES, BUT
GENERALLY RESISTS INSECT DAMAGE.
ONE OF RYON'S STRENGTHS IS ITS
VERSATILITY AND ABILITY TO BLEND
EASILY WITH MANY FIBRES –
SOMETIMES TO REDUCE COST, OTHER
TIMES FOR LUSTER, SOFTNESS OR
ABSORBENCY.
BECUSE OF EXCESSIVE FLAMMABILITY
IT IS INSPIRED THE FLAMMABLE FABRICS
ACT. FFA ENACTED BY THE U.S.
DEPATMENT OF COMMERCE IN 1953 IN
RESPONSE TO PUBLIC CONCERN OVER A
NUMBER OF SERIOUS BURN ACCIDENTS
INVOLVING
BURSHED RYON HIGH PILE SWEATER
(REFERRED TO US “TORCH SWEATER”)
AND COULD EASILY CATCH FIRE.

17. REFERENCE :
1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rayon
2) https://www.garmentcare.com/blog/his
tory-and-care-of-rayon
3) https://style2designer.com/apparel/fabr
ics/rayon-fiber-uses-and-properties/