Polycarboxylic acids, applied with catalysts based on phosphorus-conta
ining inorganic acids, have been found to produce cotton fabrics with
excellent smooth-drying properties and better strength retention than
fabrics treated with methylol derivatives of cyclic ureas. Unfortunate
ly, there has been no method available for the quantitation of the pol
ycarboxylic acids on fabrics either directly or as a reference. Recent
ly the use of infrared spectroscopy to determine the amount of BTCA (b
utanetetracarboxylic acid) on cotton fabrics has been reported. Ratio
of the ester/acid carbonyl peak at 1730 cm-1 to the CH2-bending peak i
n cellulose at 1373 cm-1 has given excellent quantitative results for
cotton treated with this acid. The extension of the method to citric a
cid, another polycarboxylic acid of potential commercial importance is
described.