ON DEGREE OF CRYSTALLINITY IN JUTE AND MESTA FIBERS IN DIFFERENT STATES OF PURIFICATIONS AND MOISTURE CONDITIONS

The degree of crystallinity (DC) in different moisture conditions was studied for jute and mesta holo‐ and α‐celluloses. As in the case of raw fibers the DC was found to decrease as humidity increased, but the rate of change was diminished in the present case. The lower rate is explained on the supposition that some of the regions previously accessible to water have, after removal of lignin and hemicelluloses, assumed more ordered states and are less accessible. The DC increased as lignin and hemicelluloses were removed and tended to approach that of ramie or cotton. The crystalline structure of jute α‐celluloses was also found to be similar to that of ramie or cotton. Copyright © 1969 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.