Analysis of Heterogeneous Reaction Between Reducing Agents and Keratin Fibers Using Raman Spectroscopy and Microspectrophotometry

December 2012 in “ Journal of molecular structure ”

Akio Kuzuhara, Teruo Hori

thioglycolic acid l-cysteine keratin fibers disulfide groups Raman spectroscopy microspectrophotometry cuticle cortex region TG CYS keratin disulfide bonds

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Studysummary This study found that at pH 9.0, CYS penetrated less and caused less damage to virgin human hair than TG because it barely reached the cortex region.

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The study investigated the heterogeneous reaction between reducing agents (thioglycolic acid (TG) and l-cysteine (CYS)) and keratin fibers in human hair using Raman spectroscopy and microspectrophotometry. It was found that TG diffused into the hair and disconnected disulfide (–SS–) groups in a Fickian manner, penetrating beyond the cuticle into the cortex region. In contrast, CYS showed a slower reaction rate and limited penetration into the cortex due to electrostatic interactions with the fiber surface, resulting in less damage to the hair. The findings indicated that hair treated with CYS was less damaged compared to TG-treated hair.

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