Nitrocellulose is responsible for many changes in the industrial arts and sciences. The use of the material as a propellant was the first major break from the traditional use of black powder, which had proceeded without change for centuries. The next major step in the history of nitrocellulose was the development of celluloid. Prior to the introduction of this synthetic plastic, some moulding had been done with thermoplastic natural resins such as shellac,but the art of moulding and fabricating plastic compositions for practical purposes dates from the discovery of celluloid. Protective surface coatings made little progress and were all essentially oil or natural resin or oleoresinous compositions until the invention of Nitrocellulose Lacquer shortly after World War 1..

Two interesting examples of how cellulose compounds can complement one another follow:--