Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-05-05
cELLULoID.
It Is Entering More Largely Every Day
 Into Commerce.


 Into Commerce.
 CelIuloid is a, manufactured article that is entering more largely every day into commerce. It's uses are mani fold. There are only three firms In the United States that manufacture celluloid for sale. (Their names may be found in the New York Conner ciaPs preferred list of merchants and , manufacturers published daily on pages v12 and 13.) As the word "Cellu- Ibid" is the copyrighted trademark of one of the three, the other two have invented names of their own to apply to the sam4 articles. One is Fiber loid," the other "Pyralin."
 For a quarter of century perhaps celluloid has been in use. Its advan- tages were slow to be recognized. Peo- pie feared it because it was combus1- ble and inf1ammable, but so is wood infiammable and we live in wooden houses. Occasionally we read tales of explosions of celluloid;;" pure fabrica- tions. It does not explode.
 The process of manufacture of eel luloid is interesting. Tissue paper or cotton is cut or picked into small pieces, which are placed in a solution of su1phuric and nitric acid and sat urated with this mixture. It is then removed from the mixture and care- fully washed in water several times after which 1t is put in a press and the water squeezed out. The paper or cotton when thus treated is known l chemically as nitro-c -cellulose, cellulose l nitrate or pyroxylin. This nitro-cellu- l lose is mixed with camphor and alco- hol (elther wood or grain) and the mixture is made homogeneous plas- tic mass by masticating on steam heated rollers. The mass is then put in steam-heated presses and press ed into cakes or sheets, after which it is thoroughly dried in steam heated 1 drying rooms. The only secrets in the business are knowledge of just what proportion of acids to use at what temperature to use them and what coloring matters to use to obtain the 1 best results.
 l Those familiar with the manufac- ture of guncotton-which is not neces- sarily made from cotton, as paper or wood pulp could be used-will see that the first steps in the process of pro- ducing celluloid and guncotton are the same. But there is vast differ ence between the two. The United States Dispensatory says: "The name l (guncotton) is applied to several close l ly related yet distinct products" There are at least eight different cellulose nitrates which may be produced by the action of a nitric and sulphuric acid mixture upon cotton, paper or wood pulp. There is, however, some appa- rent confusion in the books on chem istry as to terms. Some chemists recognize but three grades Of nitra- tion-the mono-(1), the di-(2) and the l tri-(3). nitrate; while others. such as the United States Dispensatory. men, ton six: from the mono-D to the hexa-(6 nitrate. and still others. from the mono-(D to the endeca-11) nitrate. | The object in the manufacture of l guncotton for explosive purposes is to possible. The higher the nitra tion, the greater is the explosive force. The l guncotton used for making col!oGion I (which is made by dissoIving guncot- ton in ether and alcohol is of much l lower nitration than the explosive kind The United States Dispensatory also says that "the true explosive guncotton is insoluble in ether and al- cohol," and that "the soluble guncot- ton used in the preparation of collo- dion is a mixture of the four lower ni- trates." The so-called guncotton used in the manufacture of celluloid is of q still lower nitration, about thirty five per cent lower than the explosive kind. It is so low that it is impossible to explode it.
 Celuloid is used largely in toilet arr ticIes. jewelry, decorations for albun covers and so many different things