Do we know how much time? A minute? An hour? Multiple days?
I have some papyrus framed at home but I’m not subjecting it to vinegar tests. Presumably they would use the thinnest papyrus scroll possible, and I think it’s fair to assume a very high concentration of acetic acid. Though it would be a stretch to say they were using glacial acetic acid, as in Da Vinci’s time that was considered a distinct substance from vinegar.
That is another good point, although I don’t think you can read the message with a scan since it is encased in brass. But you should be able to figure out the correct combination from a scan.
Assume it isn’t drop-proof (in the movie it is dropped, releasing the vinegar) and that it is normally stored so as to be insulated enough not to freeze.
Although the attacker can freeze it, as noted above, that would seem to counteract the vinegar’s destructive capability.
I have not seen the movie but are they aware of the booby trap for some reason? The Lock Picking Lawyer has opened locks with booby traps including ones with vials that break.
My Episcopal priest, asked about the accuracy and historicity of The Da Vinci Code, paused thoughtfully before saying, “Well, there’s a reason it’s in the Fiction section of the bookstores.”
Furthermore, consider the difficulty (and time it would take) of safely extracting a very thin papyrus scroll from a small metal container… when the scroll is soaking wet.
