Resumen de The Chemistry of Paper Preservation: Part 2. The Yellowing of Paper and Conservation Bleaching
The discoloration of paper on aging is of interest to the archival community and also to the pulp and paper industry where new and improved mechanical pulps are being developed. The yellowing of paper on aging can be attributed to the presence of chromophores found in some of the products formed from the degradation of one or more components of paper. This study identifies the nature of the chromophores found in cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. The photooxidation of lignin-containing papers and the mechanism for photoyellowing are discussed. This is followed by a description of the basic principles of conservation bleaching which involves chemically treating papers in order to remove unwanted discoloration or stains. The washing of paper and the use of oxidizing and reducing bleaches are presented. The discussion on oxidizing bleaches includes hydrogen peroxide, alkaline hypochlorite, chlorine dioxide and sunlight. The chemistry of reducing bleaches focuses on dithionites and borohydrides.
