Study of leather and gelatin specimens - Original, and processed with traditional and new reagents

The change of properties of leather and gelatin after the treatment by poly(hexamethyleneguanidine) derivatives was studied. The study of thermal transformation was performed by means of derivatograph Q-1500-D (MOM, Hungary). The dehydration process, melting of crystal areas of anhydrous collagen, the destruction of poly(peptides) chains proceed one after another in the range from 20 to 250 degreesC. The computer program TA 1B for the non-isothermal kinetics (on the basis of the integer method) was used for data processing. The best kinetic description for the thermal dehydration in all cases was the equations of diffusion processes. We believe that this process can be considered as inner chemical diffusion: the hindrance for water molecules removal from the sample because of alternate breaking and forming of hydrogen bonds with aminoacids chains on the contact surface of pores. Both the difference in water content, and the slight difference in values of kinetic parameters (E and A) are discussed; they are attributed to the structure difference between leather collagen and gelatin and processing effect.