celluloid (cellulosic)

  1. Home
  2. top of the aat hierarchies
  3. Materials Facet
  4. Materials (hierarchy name)
  5. materials (substances)
  6. [materials by composition]
  7. organic material
  8. plastic (material)
  9. [plastic by property]
  10. thermoplastic
  11. cellulosic
  12. celluloid
Scope note
A tough, highly flammable but not usually explosive, synthetic thermoplastic composed essentially of cellulose nitrate and camphor or another plasticizer. It was originally a trademark of Hoechst Celanese. It was marketed as a substitute for ivory, horn, amber, tortoiseshell for use in piano keys, dolls, buttons, combs, brushes, mirrors, collars, dental plates, and other small items. Tough, transparent sheets and strips of celluloid were also used for photographic and motion picture films as well as animation cels. Celluloid film was cast from a solution of cellulose nitrate with wood alcohol (methanol), amyl nitrate, camphor and fusel oil (amyl alcohol). The first celluloid product was patented in 1856 by Alexander Parkes, and called Parkesine. John Wesley Hyatt created an improvement in 1868 by adding camphor to make it thinner and more malleable. Celluloid has appeared commercially under a variety of names.
celluloid
Accepted term: 29-Apr-2024