Lack of evidence for an autocatalytic point in the degradation of cellulose acetate

摘要

The evidence for the existence of a critical concentration of acetic acid, or autocatalytic point, at which deacetylation of cellulose triacetate film accelerates markedly, is re-examined. It is concluded that in fact deacetylation is autocatalytic at all concentrations of acid, and also that there is no evidence for the existence of an induction period.