Special Collections Department
403 Parks Library
Iowa State University
Ames, IA 50011-2140

RS 13/6/56
Rachel Hartman Edgar (1896-1994)
Papers, 1926-1970


Descriptive summary

creator:

Edgar, Rachel Hartman (1896-1994)
title:

Papers
dates:

1926-1970
extent:

2.6 linear feet (5 document boxes)
collection number:

RS 13/6/56
repository:

University Archives, Special Collections Department, Iowa State University.

 

Administrative information

access:

Open for research
publication rights:

Consult Head, Special Collections Department
preferred citation:

Rachel Hartman Edgar Papers, RS 13/6/56, Archives of Women in Science and Engineering, Special Collections Department, Iowa State University Library.

 

Biographical note

Rachel Edgar, a native of Cochocton, Ohio, received her B.A. (1917) and B.S. (1918) in Home Economics and her M.S. (1920) and Ph.D (1925) in Organic Chemistry from Ohio State University. She was employed by Ohio State as an Assistant, Instructor, and Fellow (1918-1924) and then became an Assistant (1924-1928) and Associate (1928-1986) Professor at Iowa State University where she researched and studied textiles. She published many articles on her textile chemistry experiments and was a member of the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists, the American Chemical Society, the Textile Research Institute, Iota Sigma Pi and a Fellow of the Iowa Academy of Science and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

 

Collection description

This collection (1926-1970, undated) contains biographical information, professional correspondence, research data and notes, and journal and typescript articles. The materials document the research work in textile chemistry conducted by Rachel Edgar throughout her career. The professional correspondence consists of Edgar's correspondence with Dr. Alonzo E. Taylor of the General Mills, Inc. Chamber of Commerce concerning his request of textile experiments as part of a fellowship awarded to Edgar. Student research contains a number of student experiments directed by Rachel Edgar. It includes several notebooks of data, as well as four student theses on wool fibers and the reactions of fibrous cellulose. Research data contains materials from Edgar's research and experiments, including data, correspondence, and reports. The materials appear to have been part of Edgar's research on the reaction of cellulose to a copper of fehling solution. The majority of the data is unidentified and undated. Several copies of the article, which was eventually submitted for publication, are in this series. The articles span the length of Edgar's career, beginning with her first joint publication in 1926 and extending to the 1960s. There are a wide range of topics, including chemical analysis and detergent reactions of wool, silk, cellulose acetate rayon, cotton, linens, and rayon.

 

Organization

This collection is loosely arranged into six series: biographical information, professional correspondence, student research projects, research data, published articles, and photographs.

 

Container list

Box

Folder

Title

Dates

1

1

Biographical information

1953-1994

1

2

Professional correspondence

1939

1

3

Student Research Projects: Chemistry project

1941

1

4

Student Research Projects: Project 539 chemistry experiment notebook

1942

1

5

Student Research Projects: Chemistry 565 experiment notebook

1955

1

6

Student Research Projects: Chemistry 565 Outlines and bibliographies

1955

2

1

Student Research Projects: Project 806 chemistry experiment notebook

1950

2

2

Student Research Projects: Thesis by Margaret McColl Semeniuk, "The Kinetics of the Wild Oxidation of Regenerated Cellulose"

1947

2

3

Student Research Projects: Thesis by Eva Elizabeth McGuinness, "Initial Reaction of Fibrous Cellulose in Aqueous Permanganate"

1949

2

4

Student Research Projects: Thesis by Grace Hardy Day, "Concentration of Anion for the Mordanting of Wool Fiber in Dichromate"

1949

2

5

Student Research Projects: Thesis by Barbara Edith Denamore, "Initial Permanganic Oxidation of Wool Fiber"

1950

2

6

Research: Textile experiments, #1-19

1960

2

7-10

Research: Cellulose and copper experiment data

undated

3

1-14

Research: Cellulose and copper experiment data

undated

3

15

Research: "Reaction between Cellulose and Copper of Fehling Solution" (Typescripts, data, footnotes, and correspondence)

1970-1976

3

16

Research: "Reaction between Cellulose and Copper of Fehling Solution" (Typescripts, data, footnotes, and correspondence)

1970-1976

4

1

Research: "Reaction between Cellulose and Copper of Fehling Solution" (Typescripts, data, footnotes, and correspondence)

1970-1976

4

2

Research: "Reaction between Cellulose and Copper of Fehling Solution" (Typescripts, data, footnotes, and correspondence)

1970-1976

4

3

Research: "Reaction between Cellulose and Copper of Fehling Solution" (Typescripts, data, footnotes, and correspondence)

1970-1976

4

4

Research: Textile Chemistry Notes

1927-1970

4

5

Research: Textile Chemistry Notes

1927-1970

4

6

Research: Textile Chemistry Notes

1927-1970

4

7

Research: Textile Chemistry Notes

1927-1970

4

8

Article: "Mordanting of Wool in Aqueous Potassium Permanganate" (Typescript)

undated

4

9-10

Article: "A Study of the Effect of an Aromatic Sulfonate on the Major Textile Fibers" (Typescript, pp. 1-229)

1939

5

1

Article: "The Mechanism of Carbohydrate Oxidation IV: The Action of Potassium Hydroxide on d-Glucose and d-Galactose"

1926

5

1

Article: "Analysis of Six Rayon Fabrics"

1928

5

1

Article: "Deterioration of Five Wide Cotton Sheeting Due to Laundering"

1928

5

1

Article: "An Analysis of Wide Cotton Sheeting"

1928

5

1

Article: "A Study of Weighted Silk Fabric"

1928

5

1

Article: "The Influence of Laundering on Some Cotton and Linen Fabrics"

1929

5

1

Article: "The Quantitative Estimation of Silk Fibroin in Weighted Silk"

1932

5

1

Article: "The Sulfur and Nitrogen of Wool"

1932

5

1

Article: "The Quantitative Chemical Estimation of Textile Fibers"

1933

5

2

Article: "A Comparative Analysis of Three Hundred Fabrics"

1933

5

2

Article: "The Alkaline Hydrolysis of Cellulose Acetate Rayon"

1934

5

2

Article: "The Alkaline Mercerization of Wool"

1935

5

2

Article: "The Cleaning of Weighted Silk Fabrics"

1935

5

2

Article: "Degradation of Silk Fibroin by Acid and Alkali"

1935

5

2

Article: "The Acid and Alkaline Degradation of Chlorinated Wool"

1936

5

2

Article: "Degradation of Five Weighted Silks Fibroins by Steam"

1936

5

2

Article: "Oxidative Degradation of Silk"

1936

5

2

Article: "The Acid Degradation of Wool Keratin"

1936

5

2

Article: "The Alkaline Degradation of Wool Keratin"

1936

5

2

Article: "The Degradation of Silk, Wild Silk, and Wool by Steam"

1936

5

2

Article: "Research: The Effect of Salt on Silk"

1936

5

2

Article: "Oxidative Degradation of Silk II"

1937

5

2

Article: "Formaldehyde as a Protective Agent for Wool"

1937

5

2

Article: "The Alkaline Hydrolysis of Cellulose Acetate Rayon"

1937

5

3

Article: "A Comparison of Carbon Tetrachloride, Naphtha, and Water for the Cleaning of Cellulose-Acetate Rayon, Regenerated-Cellulose Rayon, Wool, Wild Silk, Silk, and Weighted Silks"

1940

5

3

Article: "The Effect of Sodium Thiosulfate and Sodium Hydrogen Sulfite on Some Silks"

1941

5

3

Article: "The Washing of Cotton Cellulose, Regenerated-Cellulose Rayon, Cellulose-Acetate Rayon, Silk, Wild Silk, and Wool with Soap, Silicated Soap, and Sulfated Alcohol"

1942

5

3

Article: "A Comparison of the Aluminum-Chloride and the Sulfuric-Acid Methods for Quantitative Estimation of Wool"

1942

5

3

Article: "Oxidation of Wool Keratin by Potassium Dichromate"

1942

5

3

Article: "Comparison of an Aryl Sulfonate and Soap for the Washing in Hard Water of Cotton, Linen, Spun Cellulose-Acetate Rayon, Spun Regenerated-Cellulose Rayon, Silk, and Wool"

1943

5

3

Article: "The Loeb Classical Library"

1944

5

3

Article: "Commercial Laundering of Woven Cotton, Linen, Rayon, and Cellulose Secondary Acetate"

1961

5

3

Article: "Change in Cloth During Washing with Water and Anionic Detergent"

1962

5

3

Article: "Change in Cotton, Linen, Rayon, and Cellulose Secondary Acetate with Temperature of Steaming"

1963

5

3

Article: "Analysis of Six Rayon Fabrics"

undated

5

3

Article: "Degradation of Weighted Silk Fibroin by Acid and Alkali"

undated

5

4

Photographs and negatives: graph used in article

undated