Stability of Cellulose Ester Base Photographic Film: Part III — Measurement of Film Degradation

Adelstein, Peter Z.; Reilly, James M.; Nishimura, Douglas W.; Erbland, C. J.

doi:10.5594/j15292

Cited by 24 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…It is therefore proposed that the sunglasses are in fact cellulose acetate that has undergone deacetylation overtime, reverting to a form similar to cellulose [26,27] and thus exhibiting spectral vibrations comparable to regenerated cellulose. Similar findings have been reported by Price et al [28] who demonstrated the deacetylation of a pigmented cellulose acetate film within a 5 year interval of acquiring an IR spectrum.…”

Section: And Inmentioning

confidence: 98%

Study of semi-synthetic plastic objects of historic interest using non-invasive total reflectance FT-IR

Cucci

Bartolozzi

Marchiafava

et al. 2016

Microchemical Journal

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a b s t r a c tA significant proportion of modern and contemporary artifacts and objects of historical interest, are composed of materials in the form of synthetic, semi-synthetic, and natural polymers. Each class of polymer and corresponding composite plastics are subject to different degradation processes. This means that conservators and curators of 20th century collections are faced with varied, nontrivial preservation issues. An unresolved problem is the identification of early plastics based on semi-synthetic polymers such as cellulose nitrate, cellulose acetate, and casein formaldehyde, which were often used to imitate the more valuable natural materials such as ivory, tortoiseshell, ebony, and bone. This exemplifies the need for non-invasive methods specifically tailored for identification of plastic materials in collections, so as to provide conservators with a means of materials classification to support preventive conservation strategies and interventive treatments. The present work is aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of non-invasive Total Reflectance (TR) FT-IR spectroscopy, coupled with a custom reference spectral TR FT-IR library, for the identification of materials comprising a series of unknown objects. A set of ten heritage objects made from early semi-synthetic materials was used as a training test set to validate the proposed methodological approach. The FT-IR data acquired on the test objects were pre-processed and finally classified using commercial software tools used for the automatic classification of spectra in FT-IR spectroscopy. The procedure was successfully applied to several cases, although residual uncertainties remained in a few examples. The results obtained are critically analyzed and discussed in the perspective of proposing a robust method for in-field prescreening of the chemical composition of plastic artistic and historical objects.

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Section: And Inmentioning

confidence: 98%

Study of semi-synthetic plastic objects of historic interest using non-invasive total reflectance FT-IR

Cucci

Bartolozzi

Marchiafava

et al. 2016

Microchemical Journal

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show abstract

“…Not until the 1960s and 1970s did film manufacturers study the problem (Adelstein et al, 1995). Meanwhile, a second photographic stability issue arose-color dye fading.…”

Section: Specifications As Of 2014: Do the Ratified Guidelines Apply mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…By the mid-1950s, users noted that acetate film was also degrading (Adelstein, 1995) and by the end of the 1950s William K. Wilson and colleagues (1954) at NBS measured the decay of acetate films used as a laminating material. Not until the 1960s and 1970s did film manufacturers study the problem (Adelstein et al, 1995).…”

Section: Specifications As Of 2014: Do the Ratified Guidelines Apply mentioning

confidence: 99%

Proceedings of the Smithsonian Institution Summit on the Museum Preservation Environment

Stauderman¹,

Tompkins²,

Clough³

et al. 2016

Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge

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“…To make A-D strips, bromocresol green indicator is evenly deposited from solution onto rolls of paper in the presence of a small quantity of sodium hydroxide. The sodium hydroxide maintains a high pH before use and is formulated to extend the pH range during which a colour change occurs (Adelstein et al, 1995). When exposed to increasing concentration of acidic vapour the indicator changes from blue to green and eventually to yellow (Fig.…”

Section: Acid-detector (A-d) Stripsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…2). A-D strips are calibrated by matching their colour change to water-leached acid from film stock titrated against solutions of 0.1 N sodium hydroxide (Adelstein et al, 1995). Acetic acid has an acid hydrolysis constant K a = 1.75 × 10 −5 and therefore bromocresol is a good match for the acetic acid range, changing colour from pH 5.4 to pH 3.8.…”

Section: Acid-detector (A-d) Stripsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Colour measurement of acid-detector strips for the quantification of volatile organic acids in storage conditions

Hackney¹

2016

Studies in Conservation

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Acid-detector (A-D) strips were originally developed to assess the deterioration of acetate film stock, but they can also be used more generally within enclosures to detect volatile acidic pollution. A hand-held reflectance spectrophotometer was used to record the colour of individual strips in order to make consistent and reproducible readings. Calibration was carried out using the yellow-blue axis b*(D65) value in the CIELAB1976 system to measure the colour of A-D strips suspended in enclosed containers over solutions of acetic acid in combinations with glycerol to control the relative humidity (RH). A-D strips were found to be sensitive to changes in high RH (60-90%) but affected little by changes in lower RH or temperatures in the museum display and storage range. A-D strips can be used to establish the presence of volatile acids, record the indication of acid vapour concentration, explore conditions within a container, and to find sources of volatile acidity. They respond very quickly and several can be placed around an object. They therefore show promise for measuring slowly changing conditions, such as seasonal changes and the gradual accumulation of acidity in poorly ventilated containers and spaces. A-D strips proved useful in assessing air quality in storage and display enclosures. Examples and test results are presented. Wellsealed plywood transit frames and storage cases were found to be most polluted with volatile acids. Storage rooms with air filtration systems but filled with wooden objects had significantly reduced air quality.

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Stability of Cellulose Ester Base Photographic Film: Part III — Measurement of Film Degradation

Cited by 24 publications

References 13 publications

Study of semi-synthetic plastic objects of historic interest using non-invasive total reflectance FT-IR

Study of semi-synthetic plastic objects of historic interest using non-invasive total reflectance FT-IR

Proceedings of the Smithsonian Institution Summit on the Museum Preservation Environment

Colour measurement of acid-detector strips for the quantification of volatile organic acids in storage conditions

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