But lest I be blamed for not sharing credit, please be advised that my
source for the following refused to be identified. (Credit *Anyonymous.*)
>> >1. what is nitrile?
>>
>> Plastic. Just a rather impermeable one in thin stuff like gloves. "Rubber
>> gloves" are made of latex (sap of rubber tree) and deteriorate in alkaline
>> solutions. Most other plastic gloves are not formfitting, while the nitrile
>> ones cling like latex.
>>
>> >4. What is phenolic?
>>
>> Phenol in its raw form is what was once called "carbolic acid" though it
>> isn't an acid. In its combinant form, it is the major radical in almost all
>> developing agents (like paraphenylene - note the "phenyl" which is a
>> combinant form of phenol, or monomethyl-p-aminophenol compounds [which
>> include metol, Elon, etc] - phenol is in almost all of them). Look at the
>> chemical name for the developers, and you will see "phenol", the combinant
>> form "phenyl", or some other esoteric name that chemists know is a phenol
>> derivative. "Phenolic" by itself also represents a type of plastic, like
>> Bakelite, one of the first - these are phenol-based compounds.
Furthermore, Anonymous points out, "just to make sure people know the
gloves are nitrile (a lot of people are allergic to latex) they are
usually colored blue so they look different." And adds that, "some
artificial rubber - the 'Buna' in tires - are nitrile compounds. There's
no end of things to learn in Alt-Phot."
Finally, s/he had "just had a very interesting discussion: by the year
2000 (said this photo executive) all chemical-based photography will fall
into the alt-photo category."
Of course I, no photo executive, said that last year, in fact it's in
paragraph one of my lead editorial, you-know-where. But granted, I never
said, as Anonymous did (still quoting the prophetic photo exec):
"Within a year, there will be 'digital' cameras selling for $100 or less,
and computerized SLRs will have a super-megapixel capability that will be
like 1000 speed color and BW film. Also, one-hour processing will become
almost a norm, as the chemistry-based ones are even now being phased out
for dye-sub printing - all the larger-than-snapshot size prints are now
made that way in the one-hour places."
END QUOTE.
Probably, maybe, OK -- so be glad our processes are *already* obsolete.
cheers,
Judy