Acid migration

Kathie Bordelon <kbordelo<-a t->mcneese< . >edu> writes

>If acid-free envelopes contain acidic newsprint for several years,
>can I assume that the acid migrates to the envelope? And, can I also
>assume that if the newsprint is removed the envelope will remain
>acidic unless treated?

In a paper published in the (A)ICCM Bulletin (vol. 11, nos. 1 & 2,
pp38-42, 1985), I reported on an experiment at the National Library
of Australia investigating acid transfer between adjacent paper
sheets. We were looking at old (and probably acidic) maps that had
been interleaved with Archive Text about 10 years previously. The
research was undertaken because when the maps were first interleaved
it was suggested that the Archive Text should be replaced after 5 to
10 years. Given the logistics of the replacement program, we wanted
to investigate whether this was necessary.

Results showed that there was no significant decrease in alkalinity
in the Archive Text over that period. This indicated that there was
still adequate bulk alkaline buffering remaining in the Archive Text
even after extended contact with acid paper. However, there were
some differences noted in the behaviour of the exposed versus 'new'
Archive Text in terms of a time difference to reach a stable pH, and
an 'old paper' smell when the exposed samples were wet out.

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 11:23
                Distributed: Tuesday, September 9, 1997
                       Message Id: cdl-11-23-006
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