cellulose nitrate
noun
: any of several nitric-acid esters of cellulose used especially for making plastics and explosives : nitrocellulose
Cellulose nitrate film was introduced in 1887 and was used until about 1950. It is inherently unstable and highly flammable.—
Sally A. Buchanan et al.
Sally A. Buchanan et al.Examples of cellulose nitrate in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Eventually Hyatt began playing around with cellulose nitrate—cotton treated with nitric and sulfuric acids—at his own peril, given that the compound was extremely flammable.
—
Matt Simon,
WIRED,
27 Oct. 2022
The warehouse is owned by the national film institute, Cinemateca, and houses South America's largest collection of films, some made of cellulose nitrate, a highly flammable material.
—
DÉbora Álvares,
Star Tribune,
29 July 2021
Because the drawings are extremely delicate, the team carefully dabbed their surfaces with sterile membranes made of cellulose nitrate and used gentle suction tubes to remove microbes without damaging the paper.
—
Nora McGreevy,
Smithsonian Magazine,
30 Nov. 2020
Kodak kept its technical leadership by introducing the first safety film (made of cellulose acetate, rather than of highly flammable cellulose nitrate) in 1908.
—
IEEE Spectrum,
28 Aug. 2018
Ventilation and trapping are good strategies against cellulose acetate and cellulose nitrate, but the methods do not work on all plastics, Shashoua says.
—
Sarah Everts,
Scientific American,
1 Apr. 2016
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Matt Simon,
WIRED,
27 Oct. 2022
The warehouse is owned by the national film institute, Cinemateca, and houses South America's largest collection of films, some made of cellulose nitrate, a highly flammable material.
—
DÉbora Álvares,
Star Tribune,
29 July 2021
Because the drawings are extremely delicate, the team carefully dabbed their surfaces with sterile membranes made of cellulose nitrate and used gentle suction tubes to remove microbes without damaging the paper.
—
Nora McGreevy,
Smithsonian Magazine,
30 Nov. 2020
Kodak kept its technical leadership by introducing the first safety film (made of cellulose acetate, rather than of highly flammable cellulose nitrate) in 1908.
—
IEEE Spectrum,
28 Aug. 2018
Ventilation and trapping are good strategies against cellulose acetate and cellulose nitrate, but the methods do not work on all plastics, Shashoua says.
—
Sarah Everts,
Scientific American,
1 Apr. 2016
Cite this Entry
“Cellulose nitrate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cellulose%20nitrate. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
