ORIGIN OF THE BIMODAL MELTING ENDOTHERM OF ALPHA-FORM CRYSTALLITES INWOOL KERATIN

The melting endotherm of alpha-form crystallites in wool keratin appea rs often to be bimodal. The origin of the bimodal endotherm has been c onsidered to correspond to the differential melting of the alpha-form crystallites in the domains of ortho- and paracortical cells. An alter native interpretation is presented, in which the bimodal peak arises f rom the overlapping of the melting endotherm of alpha-form crystallite s and the thermal degradation of other wool histological components. ( C) 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.