Celluloid was one of the first "man-made" organic (as in organic vs
inorganic chemistry) structural materials. Today, we loosely call these
kinds of things plastics. Celluloid is (or was since it is no longer
made) made by dissolution of cellulosic fiber in a mixture of pyridine,
nitric acid, and carbon disulfide (don't try this at home) to eventually
form cellulose nitrate. Next a sap from the camphor tree is extracted
and concentrated by dissolution in alcohol and then partial evaporation
(and recovery) of the alcohol. The concentrated alcohol camphor solution
is then mixed with cellulose nitrate and heated in an exothermic
reaction to form a hard plastic like substance. The cellulose acts as
the structural backbone while the camphor concentration controls the
hardness of the structural mass.

Celluloid was invented in 1865 by John Wesley Hyatt (1837-1920). To
exploit celluloid, he and his brothers (Charles and Isiah) founded the
Albany Dental Plate Company, the Celluloid Manufacturing Company and the
Albany Billiard Ball Company all located in Albany, New York, in the
late 1860s and early 1870s. The Celluloid Manufacturing Company
manufactured and commercialized celluloid for general use. The Celluloid
Manufacturing Company was purchased by the Celanese Corporation in 1927.

Celluloid was used into the 1940's. Fabrication of items from celluloid
was labor-intensive and thus it sees little use today. Modern plastics
are everywhere now, but celluloid was the first "plastic". Hyatt won
recognition and a $10,000 prize for the invention of celluloid. Hyatt
was regarded as the father of polymeric chemistry at one time. He is
generally unknown today, even though he had more patents than Thomas
Edison.

Bill Finch