Acid: Silk is readily decomposes by hot
concentrated acids. The degree of hydrolysis is much greater with acid than
with alkali & is pH dependent. There is no harmful of weak and
cold hydrofluoric acid. Dilute organic acids contain little effect on silk at
room temperature.
Alkali: Dilute alkali at room temperature
does not cause any considerable chemical and structural damage of silk, but the
luster of the fiber may be decreased depending on the exposure time. Caustic
soda, when it is hot and strong, dissolves the silk fiber.
Oxidizing agent: Silk fibroin is not
severely affected by H2O2 solution.
The action of chlorine solution on the silk
fibroin is more harmful than hypochlorite solution.
Reducing agent: The reducing agents that are
commonly found in use in textile processing such as hyposulphite, sulfurous
acids and their salts do no exercise any constructed action on the silk fiber.