Abstract

The oil-tanning mechanism was studied in detail with regard to the tanning effect of an alkyl sulfonyl chloride on pickled pigskins, rabbit skins and sheepskins. Aldehyde pre-tanned rabbit skins, goat skins and splits of pigskins were also studied. The effect on shrinkage temperature (denoted as Ts) of the raw stocks tanned with the alkyl sulfonyl chloride was fully investigated. The results proved that the traditional leather tanning theory had obvious limitations, and that Ts did not increase with the synthetic oil-tanning agent, e.g., alkyl sulfonyl chloride. Consequently, it can be concluded the alkyl sulfonyl chloride shows no tanning properties and only serves the function of fatliquoring.