Nitrocellulose: What It Is and Why It's Used

Origin

Nitrocellulose (colloquially known as guncotton) was first produced by Christian Friedrich Schönbein in 1846 by treating cotton with a mixture of nitric and sulfuric acids. It was rapidly developed as an explosive and propellant. The discovery that lower-nitrogen-content nitrocellulose dissolved in solvents to form strong films led to its use in lacquers, photographic film, and — following the development of the nail polish industry in the 1920s — as the primary film-forming polymer in nail lacquers.

Why It's Used

In nail polish, nitrocellulose forms the hard, adherent film that is the product's structural basis. Dissolved in solvents, it flows easily and dries rapidly by solvent evaporation. The resulting film is hard, glossy, and adheres well to the nail plate. Other components — plasticisers, resins, and pigments — modify its properties, but nitrocellulose provides the fundamental structure.

Elsewhere

Nitrocellulose is used in printing inks, wood lacquers, leather coatings, and as a component in some propellant and explosive formulations. It was the basis of early photographic film (before being replaced by safety film owing to its flammability).

What the Framework Sees

Question 1.

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