Improvements in and relating to the production of artificial filaments, threads, fibres, bands and the like

Tris (2 : 3-epoxypropyl) amine is prepared by two stages, the intermediate product tris (3-chloro-2-hydroxy propyl) amine being first prepared (a) by the method described by Tauconnier in Comptes Rendues, 1888, Volume 107, pages 115-117, in which epichlorhydrin is subjected, with cooling, to a number of treatments with a stream of dry ammonia gas; or (b) by the addition of an aqueous solution of ammonia to a vigorously stirred mixture of epichlorhydrin and water, the temperature not being allowed to exceed 60 DEG C.; or (c) by passing ammonia gas into vigorously stirred epichlorhydrin containing 15 per cent by weight of previously prepared tris (3-chloro-2-hydroxy propyl) amines, to promote absorption and reaction, at temperatures below 45 DEG C. Tris (2 : 3-epoxypropyl) amine is then obtained (i) by treating tris-(3-chloro-2-hydroxypropyl) amine with an aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide; or (ii) by the addition of powdered sodium hydroxide, or a concentrated aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide, to a warm mixture of the tris-chlorhydrin and methylene chloride; or (iii) by a method similar to (i) carried out in aqueous solution. N,N1 - bis - (2 : 3 - epoxypropyl) tetra - (3-chloro - 2 - hydroxypropyl) ethylene diammonium chloride is prepared by heating epichlorhydrin with N,N1 - bis - (3 - chloro - 2 - hydroxypropyl) ethylene diamine, prepared by the action of epichlorhydrin on ethylene diamine in methylene chloride solution at room temperature. Methyl tris (2 : 3-epoxypropyl) ammonium methosulphate is prepared by adding a solution of tris-(2 : 3-epoxypropyl) amine in methylene chloride to a solution of dimethyl sulphate in methylene chloride. A polyepoxide from epichlorhydrin and tetramethylene pentamine is prepared by the addition of tetraethylene pentamine to a mixture of epichlorhydrin and methylene chloride.ALSO:In the production of protein threads by extruding a solution of a protein into an aqueous coagulating bath and hardening the resultant threads in a bath containing formaldehyde and one or more metal salts, the wet properties of the threads are improved by reacting them with a polyepoxy compound, the molecule of which contains at least three epoxy groups. Examples of suitable epoxy compounds are tris (2:3-epoxypropyl) amine, methyl tris (2:3-epoxypropyl) ammonium methosulphate, the polyepoxy compound obtained by further epoxidation of symmetrical NN1-bis-(2:3-epoxypropyl)-tetra(3 - chloro - 2 - hydroxy propyl) ethylene diammonium chloride, a