[Frameworks] Vinegar syndrome?

[Scott Dorsey]

Vinegar syndrome is caused by a reaction involving triphenyl phosphate which
was used as a plasticizer for some triacetate films.  Films that used other
plasticizers don't ever go vinegar.  Films that used a plasticizer mixture
including TPP sometimes go vinegar and sometimes don't.  Films of the same
kind from different batches may have slightly different base materials.

Very early safety films made with diacetate bases have no plasticizer and
aren't subject to vinegar syndrome at all.

Iron oxide catalyzes the reaction, so film on old rusty steel reels is much
more prone to vinegar syndrome.  If you can use archive reels and cans, by
all means do so, but if you can't, at least use plastic or aluminum reels.
This also is the case for magstripes and fullcoat... the iron oxide coating
appears to make them much more prone to vinegar.

The chemistry isn't really a mystery, but the exact base formulation of some
older films is.
--scott