Nitrate Negative

• Following information found on: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_base
• The first transparent flexible plasticized base that was commercially available
• This was made possible through celluloid developments in the 1880's by John Carbutt, Hannibal Goodwin, & Eastman Kodak
• Drawbacks:
  
• Very flammable -- and nitrate fires are very difficult to extinguish
  
• Decomposed after a few decades (and was still flammable) and left the film sticky and gooey
• As the film aged, it became more likely to spontaneously catch fire
  
• Projection booth fires were common if the film had been exposed to too much heat while passing through the gate
  
• There were documented audience member deaths from the flames, smoke, or stampedes that ensued
• Jan. 9, 1927 - Montreal - Laurier Palace- Fire broke out during a children's film and resulted in 77 deaths of children ages 4-18.
• 1978 Both the National Archives (lost 12.6 million feet of newsreel footage) and the Eastman House (lost 329 original camera negatives) lost their nitrate film vaults when it auto-ignited.
• Most have been converted into polyester copies and originals are stored away from other non-nitrate items
• Any theaters certified to run nitrate film must pass through rigorous requirements including a fire-proof projection booth, fire chambers surrounding the feed and take-ups reels, several fire extinguishers built into the projector and aimed at the film gate should it piece ignite.
  
• Following information found on: http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/byauth/messier/negrmcc.html
• For ALL cellulosic plastic materials: The rate of deterioration is highly temperature and humidity dependant. The age and type of film base has little bearing on its condition or future potential for deterioration.
  
• The chemical reactions driving deterioration of nitrate are autocatalytic - meaning chemical degradation accumulates and catalyzes further deterioration.
  
• Once deterioration starts, is gains momentum. To prevent the build up of gaseous by-products, negtatives should be removed from sealed air-tight containers such as metal film canisters or plastic bags. A well-ventilated facility is needed to inhibit the concentration of these by-products.