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Nitrocellulose Materials Christian Friedrich Schönbein's procedure has been widely used. It calls for 1 part cotton to 15 parts acid.
concentrated nitric acid concentrated sulfuric acid cotton balls (almost pure cellulose)
Nitrocellulose Preparation
Chill the acids below 0°C.
In a fume hood, mix equal parts nitric and sulfuric acid in a beaker.
Drop cotton balls into the acid. You can tamp them down using a glass stirring rod. Don't use metal.
Allow the nitration reaction to proceed for about 15 minutes (Schönbein's time was 2 minutes), then run cold tap water into the beaker to dilute the acid. Allow the water to run for a while.
Turn off the water and add a bit of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) to the beaker. The sodium bicarbonate will bubble as it neutralizes the acid.
Using a glass rod or gloved finger, swirl around the cotton and add more sodium bicarbonate. You can rinse with more water. Continue adding sodium bicarbonate and washing the nitrated cotton until bubbling is no longer observed. Careful removal of the acid will greatly enhance the stability of the nitrocellulose.
Rinse the nitrated cellulose with tap water and allow it to dry in a cool location.
Shreds of nitrocellulose will burst into flame if exposed to the heat of a burner or a match. It doesn't take much (either heat or nitrocellulose), so don't get carried away! If you want actual flash paper, you can nitrate ordinary paper (which is primarily cellulose) in the same manner as cotton.
concentrated nitric acid concentrated sulfuric acid cotton balls (almost pure cellulose)
Nitrocellulose Preparation
Chill the acids below 0°C.
In a fume hood, mix equal parts nitric and sulfuric acid in a beaker.
Drop cotton balls into the acid. You can tamp them down using a glass stirring rod. Don't use metal.
Allow the nitration reaction to proceed for about 15 minutes (Schönbein's time was 2 minutes), then run cold tap water into the beaker to dilute the acid. Allow the water to run for a while.
Turn off the water and add a bit of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) to the beaker. The sodium bicarbonate will bubble as it neutralizes the acid.
Using a glass rod or gloved finger, swirl around the cotton and add more sodium bicarbonate. You can rinse with more water. Continue adding sodium bicarbonate and washing the nitrated cotton until bubbling is no longer observed. Careful removal of the acid will greatly enhance the stability of the nitrocellulose.
Rinse the nitrated cellulose with tap water and allow it to dry in a cool location.
Shreds of nitrocellulose will burst into flame if exposed to the heat of a burner or a match. It doesn't take much (either heat or nitrocellulose), so don't get carried away! If you want actual flash paper, you can nitrate ordinary paper (which is primarily cellulose) in the same manner as cotton.