In the 1980s it became evident that cellulose triacetate, used as a base for motion picture film and recording tape, was unstable and occasionally suffered from deacetylation with no clear pattern as to which material would be stable and which would not. The author recaps existing research on the nature and basic chemistry of vinegar syndrome, adding some observations of his own on various triggers, and describes a unsuccessful attempt to replasticize damaged film and tape so as to make it playable.

Author: Dorsey, Scott
Affiliation: Kludge Audio, Williamsburg, VA, USA
AES Convention: 139 (October 2015) Paper Number: 9480
Publication Date: October 23, 2015
Subject: Cinema Sound

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