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X‐ray diffraction by hairs and feathers. Part I
Author(s) -
Venkateswarlu K.,
Pillai S. Padmanabha
Publication year - 1960
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/app.1960.070041106
Subject(s) - feather , keratin , crystallite , diffraction , fiber , crystallography , materials science , biology , optics , chemistry , zoology , physics , composite material , paleontology
A study of the x‐ray diffraction of tail hairs of mammals, both domestic and wild, and feathers of birds has been made. The pattern due to buffalo hair is unique in the sense that about six Debye‐Scherrer rings have also been recorded in addition to the usual pattern of α‐keratin. The rings have been explained as due to crystallites in the fiber arranged at random about the fiber axis. The chromatographic record in the case of buffalo hair revealed the presence of a new amino acid. The d values have been calculated. The feather pattern resembles more that of β‐keratin. A comparison of the study of the hairs and the feathers has been attempted.