made and tested two samples were treated with gaseous ammonia in a manner similar to that described in example 1 see table 1 for specific treatment conditions one of these pulps was washed and evaluated while the other was bleached to high brightness by a standed ceded chlorination alkali extraction chlorine dioxide bleach alkali extraction chlorine dioxide bleach bleaching sequence prior to evaluation the fourth pulp was bleached in the same manner ceded sequence and then treated with gaseous ammonia prior to evaluation tearing strengths were greatly improved in all three ammonia treated soda oxygen pulps table 1 by from 90 to 130 percent corresponding burst and tensile strengths were decreased but to acceptable levels i e 49 n m 2 g tensile index again handsheet stretch was retained following treatment with gaseous ammonia tearing strengths of the two bleached pulps were even greater than those of the unbleached treated pulp pulp treatment with ammonia before bleaching was slightly more effective than treatment after bleaching in developing both handsheet strength and brightness table 1 kraft pulp samples made from radiata pine slabwood chips in a yield of 48 percent and with a kappa no of 30 were refined in a pfi mill for 2000.