Process of reacting partially swollen cotton textiles with aqueous solutions of specific aldehydes containing acid catalysts to produce wet and dry crease resistance

Claim 1

A PROCESS COMPRISING STEEPING A COTTON TEXTILE IN A SOLUTION CONTAINING, BASED ON THE WEIGHT OF THE SOLUTION, ABOUT FROM 50% TO 90% OF AN ORGANIC WATER-SOLUBLE LIQUID IN WHICH WATER IS SOLUBLE TO THE EXTENT OF AT LEAST 5% AND SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ACETONE, DIOXANE, DIETHYLENE GLYCOL, DIMETHYL ETHER, TETRAHYDROFURANE, FORMIC ACID, ACETIC ACID, PROPIONIC ACID, LACTIC ACID, A MIXTURE OF BENZENE IN ACETIC ACID, AND A MIXTURE OF XYLENE IN TETRAHYDROFURANE, ABOUT FROM 1% TO 10% OF AN ALDEHYDE SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF FORMALDEHYDE, GLYOXAL, GLUTARALDEHYDE, ADIPALDEHYDE, A-HYDROXY ADIPALDEHYDE, ACETALDEHYDE, AND BENZALDEHYDE, ABOUT FROM 8% TO 40% OF WATER, AND ABOUT FROM 1% TO 17.2% OF A MINERAL ACID CATALYST SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF HYDROCHLORIC ACID, SULFURIC ACID, AND PHOSPHORIC ACID AT A TEMPERATURE NOT EXCEEDING ABOUT 45*C. TO PARTIALLY SWELL AND REACT THE COTTON CELLULOSE WITH THE ALDEHYDE, AND REMOVING ALL STEEPING SOLUTION FROM THE THUS-TREATED COTTON TEXTILE TO OBTAIN A MODIFIED COTTON TEXTILE CHARACTERIZED IN THAT IT HAS A COMBINED ALDEHYDE CONTENT OF AT LEAST 0.25% BASED ON THE WEIGHT OF THE TEXTILE, A MOISTURE REGAIN VALUE OF AT LEAST 7% BASED ON THE WEIGHT OF THE TEXTILE, A BREAKING STRENGTH OF AT LEAST 50% OF THE ORIGINAL UNTREATED TEXTILE, AND POSSESSING BOTH WET AND DRY WRINKLE RECOVERY.