Why do old photos lose color over time? Is it because they get damaged by air, kind of like metal getting corroded?
In: Chemistry
Yes you almost answered your own question. But it’s not the air it’s the light in the air. Photos are made by exposing paper soaked in special chemicals to different light waves. Those chemicals change color when different light hits them from the film negative. After the chemicals dry they sort of “lock in” the color. But over time as people look at the photos, the light still affects the chemicals a tiny little bit. And after many years that adds up to a lot of fading.
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