Cellulose nitrate is a white fibrous polymer, water resistance, acid resistance, weak base, and various oils.Insoluble in water,soluble in acetone, ether ethanol mixture. Easy to change color in the sun, extremely flammable, smoke-free, instant release a lot of gas. Different degree of polymerization, its strength is also different, but all the thermoplastic material. Easy to change color in the sun, and is highly flammable.In the production, processing, packaging, storage and sales, use should pay attention to safety.

Nitrocellulose (NC) is a kind of white fibrous or flake fiber and it is a very important material in many fields.It is an inflammable solid whose formula is [C6H7O2(OH)3-r (ONO2)r]n. Acid, alkali, oxidant, reductant or heat and direct sunlight will make unfavorable affection on the quality of nitrocellulose. Industrial NC has wide usages, NC for lacquers can be applied in producing different types of lacquer, stencil paper, ink, varnished cloth, sealing cover, binder, leather oil, nail polish, and so on. NC for Celluloid is mainly used for table-tennis ball and celluloid adornment products.

Nitrocellulose (also: cellulose nitrate, flash paper, flash cotton, guncotton, flash string) is a highly flammable compound formed by nitrating cellulose through exposure to nitric acid or another powerful nitrating agent. When used as a propellant or low-order explosive, it was originally known as guncotton.If the cellulose is not fully nitrated then it has found uses as a plastic film and in inks and wood coatings.

Nitrocellulose plasticized by camphor was used by Kodak, and other suppliers, from the late 1880s as a film base in photography, X-ray films and motion picture films; and was known as nitrate film. After numerous fires caused by unstable nitrate films, safety film started to be used from the 1930s in the case of X-ray stock and from 1948 for motion picture film.