Archivists, librarians, and conservators are concerned with conserving historic documents, rare books,  and art objects created on paper.  Therefore, a fundamental understanding of the chemistry that occurs as paper ages is essential for better preserving these objects.  This includes elucidating the dominant cellulose scission reactions, the reaction kinetics, the reaction mechanisms and the reason for strength loss.

We are continuing research in the areas of:

• Fundamental cellulose scission reactions--differentiating Hydrolysis and Oxidation mechanisms

• Evaluating the hydrolysis kinetics of aged paper

By advancing the knowledge of basic cellulose and paper degradation we are better able to direct and evaluate conservation treatment practices.