The deterioration behavior of cellulose acetate (CA) films (degree of substitution = 2.5) was examined in hydrochloric acid (HCl) and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solutions of various concentrations to determine acid and base catalytic effects in heterogeneous systems at room temperature. With concentrations of 0.5N HCl and 0.01N NaOH and higher, the physical properties of the films changed. The films, recovered after 1-10 days of immersion, were slightly opaque and rubbery from swelling in the solutions before drying. They became brittle and shrank when they dried. For HCl immersion, the weight change of a film depended on the HCl concentration and the immersion time. With 6.0N HCl, the film shape was broken, and a fine powder was deposited in the solution with a recovery of 53.8 wt %. The infrared spectrum of this deposit indicated that it was completely deacetylated cellulose. For NaOH immersion, although the weight change depended on the NaOH concentration, the weight loss reached 40-50% within the first 24 h, and it was constant with respect to the immersion time and base concentration in 0.5N NaOH or NaOH of a higher concentration. The infrared and gel permeation chromatography analyses showed that this deterioration mainly depended on the deacetylation of CA. (C) 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.