History and Chemistry of Photography and Ceramics

A set of flashcards covering major concepts in the history and chemistry of photography and ceramics.

Johann Heinrich Schulze

Discovered that silver nitrate darkens in light, providing the first evidence of light causing a chemical change.

Daguerreotype

A photographic process invented by Louis Daguerre using a silver iodide plate and mercury vapor to create a visible image.

Sodium thiosulfate

Also known as fixer, it converts AgX into a soluble complex to stop the photographic development process.

Cyanotype

A photographic printing process invented by John Herschel that produces blueprints using ferric ammonium citrate and potassium ferricyanide.

Wet collodion process

Developed by Frederick Scott Archer, it's a photographic technique that uses a glass plate coated with collodion and requires immediate development.

Aluminosilicates

The primary components of clay, formed from the weathering of feldspar.

Vitrification

A process occurring at high temperatures in ceramics that forms a glass-like structure, increasing the strength of the material.

Raku

A low-temperature ceramic firing technique that involves rapid cooling and reduction, resulting in metallic effects.

Flux

Materials that lower the melting point of silica in glazes, examples include lead, sodium, and potassium.

Oxidation

A chemical process where an element loses electrons, resulting in an increase in oxidation state.

Encaustic

A painting technique that involves mixing pigment with heated wax for application.

Half-life

The time required for half of the radioactive atoms in a sample to decay, used in C-14 dating.

XRF

X-ray fluorescence, an analytical technique that identifies elements by emitting energy when radiated.

Prussian blue

The characteristic color produced in cyanotypes during the photographic process.

Sensitivity centers

Locations in silver halide crystals where electrons accumulate to form the latent image in photography.

Acetic acid

A weak acid used in the stop bath to neutralize the developer during the photographic processing.