Organic compounds. Nitrocellulose is nitrocellulose, also known as cellulose nitrate. It belongs to nitrate esters and guncotton. It is white or yellowish cotton wool, soluble in acetone, and is a highly flammable organic compound. It is the product of the esterification reaction between cellulose and nitrate. Formed by nitrating cellulose with nitric acid or other powerful nitrating agents. Applications: Some nitrocellulose has been used as plastic films, inks and wood coatings. In 1855, Alexander Parkes produced the first artificial plastic, nitrocellulose (trademarked as Parkesine, patented in 1862), using cellulose treated with nitric acid and solvents. In 1868, American inventor John Wesley Hyatt improved Parkes' invention and invented a plastic material called celluloid: nitrocellulose was plasticized with camphor so that it could be processed into finished products for use in making photographic film.