Rendering fibrous material flame retardant with cyan amide/halomethyl phosphonic acid systems

摘要

Fibrous material such as cotton cloth is rendered flame retardant by treating the material with cyanamide and at least one halomethyl phosphonic acid represented by the structural formula: HOOH ¦ PARALLEL R1-C-P ANGLE ¦ HOR2 wherein R1 represents a monovalent radical such as chloro or bromo and R2 represents a monovalent radical such as hydrogen or methyl. Durability of the flame retardancy to repeated hard water washing may be improved through a subsequent treatment with N-methylol compounds such as methylolated melamine precondensate. A particularly high degree of flame retardancy is imparted to mercerized cotton cloth.