MicroChamber©
- Acetic Acid Test
Acetic
Acid Test | Vintage
Book Paper | News
Print | Photographic
Emulsion
Fine
Art Print | MicroChamber
Book Paper | NO2
Pollutant Test
The
photo above shows the relative effectiveness of various papers to
deal with acetice acid, the primary by-product of deterioration of
both paper and film. A 10 ml solution of 50% distilled water, and
50% glacial acetic acid was poured onto eighteen 6" x 6"
sheets of new unprinted newspaper. Four different paper envelopes
were made, and the saturated newspaper was placed into them. These
envelopes, and one stack of saturated newspaper without an envelope,
were sealed inside an airtight metallised polyester envelope. These
enclosures sat at room temperature for three days and were then placed
in a 100oC oven for three days.
The
acid removed most of the metal and embrittled most of the polyester,
splitting the seams and releasing the gas build up inside the enclosures
so that it could not be sampled. The microchamber area was only split
in one small area, approx 3mm long. The newspaper inside the microchamber
inside the microchamber envelope, and the microchamber envelope itself
are essentially unaffected by the acid, while all the other samples
are severely damaged.
