cellulose nitrate
A film made from cotton waste, wood, or waste
cellulose film. It is produced by the nitration of
cellulose, usually with a mixture of nitric and
sulfuric acids. It has been used as a film base
for photographic purposes, as well as to encase
documents, book leaves, etc.; however, its
flammability, the fact that it causes severe
deterioration of the materials it supposedly
protects (because of the generation of oxides of
nitrogen which yield nitric acid in the presence
of water), and the fact that it cannot be
manufactured in thickness down to 0.001 inch, has
precluded its use in preservation work. (34 , 81 )
![[CoOL]](/icons/sm_cool.gif){kind=icon}