The Chemistry Of Photography Essay, Research Paper

Michael Shorrock

The chemistry of Photography

Summary:

Joseph-Nicephore Niepce took he word?s first photographs in 1824. Many people don?t know that he was the person who invented photography; they think that a Frenchman named Daguerre was the inventor but he got the idea from Niepce. Jacqueline Belloni, a chemist at the University of Paris-South at Orsay, is doing research on ?holes? in halide ions. The problem with ?holes? is that they gobble up light-generated electrons. Belloni reasoned that the solution was to dope the film. The dopant would be a negatively charged ion, like halide, so it could substitute for halide in the crystal lattice. Instead of needing ten photons a crystal doped with formate does the job with two. A benefit to consumers will be that it will make high-speed film less grainy and better quality. Rene De Keyzer, a chemist at Agfa-Geveart helps fund Belloni?s research, predicts Agfe will have doped films on the market within four years. Film emulsions today are a million times better at capturing photons but they still have a long way to go.

3 Things Learned:

~$10 single use camera has 10 times better resolution than today?s $1000 digital camera.

~There are 10 billion crystals in a frame of ordinary film.

~The first camera invented was a cubical wooden box about a foot on a side and the film was a tin or stone plate coated in asphalt.

Response:

I think this article was interesting I never realized how complicated it is to develop a photograph. I think it would be incredible to be able to see one of the first photo?s Niepce ever made.