Effect of Some Deacidification Agents on Copper-Catalyzed Degradation of Paper
Experimental Description
PART 1 - PART 2
Deacidification with magnesium bicarbonate was performed according to the procedure of Wilson and his co-workers.14 The concentration of the magnesium bicarbonate solution prepared was 0.031 moles per liter (mol/l). Barrow's two-step method with calcium hydroxide and calcium bicarbonate was employed as described.15 The concentrations of the calcium hydroxide and calcium bicarbonate solutions were 0.024 mol/l and 0.080 mol/l, respectively.
Zinc bicarbonate solution was prepared by saturating a suspension of 2 g of zinc carbonate hydroxide (Aldrich Chemicals Inc., 99% pure) per liter of water with carbon dioxide for at least one hour. The suspension was then centrifuged to obtain a clear solution. The concentration of the bicarbonate in the solution was determined to be 0.011 mol/l.
Upon completion of a deacidification or washing treatment, the paper samples were removed individually from the final bath along with the nonwoven polyester support sheet and were placed on a blotter to let excess water drain off. The treated sheets were then allowed to air-dry. While the samples were still moist, they were interleaved with untreated sheets of the same paper (which were discarded later) and were flattened in a book press. They were then conditioned at 23°C ( 73°F) and 50% relative humidiy (RH) for at least 48 hours before being subjected to accelerated aging or testing.
Chemically treated and control samples were aged in a humid aging oven at 90°C and 50% RH. Dry aging was not attempted, as it has been conclusively demonstrated that copper and iron species do not influence the aging of paper in the near-absence of moisture at 100°C.3,13
Table of Contents - Introduction - Experimental Description - Testing and Analysis - Results and Discussion - References - Supporting Documents