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Some Applications of Ion Chromatography to the Study of the Deterioration of Museum Artifacts

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 February 2011

Norman H Tennent ,
Brian G Cooksey ,
David Littlejohn  and
Barbara J Ottaway
Norman H Tennent
Affiliation:
Department of Chemistry, The University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, Scotland, United Kingdom.
Brian G Cooksey
Affiliation:
Department of Pure & Applied Chemistry, University of Strathclyde, Cathedral Street, Glasgow G1 IXL, Scotland, United Kingdom.
David Littlejohn
Affiliation:
Department of Pure & Applied Chemistry, University of Strathclyde, Cathedral Street, Glasgow G1 IXL, Scotland, United Kingdom.
Barbara J Ottaway
Affiliation:
Department of Pure & Applied Chemistry, University of Strathclyde, Cathedral Street, Glasgow G1 IXL, Scotland, United Kingdom.
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Abstract

Ion chromatography has been applied to the investigation of corrosion and efflorescence products on a range of museum artifacts whose deterioration is due to reaction with organic carbonyl pollutants in the storage environment. The potential of the technique and its optimisation for the determination of chloride, acetate, formate, nitrate and sulphate anions and associated cations are reported. Compounds containing acetates and/or formates from ceramic, geological, mollusca and metal collections have been investigated. The utility of ion chromatography for the examination of specimens which show no visible efflorescence, but from which significant acetate and formate levels can be quantified, is also demonstrated. The complementarity of ion chromatography and other techniques, in particular X-ray diffraction and infra red spectroscopy, for the investigation of efflorescence products is emphasised.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 267: Symposium J – Materials Issues in Art and Archaeology III , 1992 , 869
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1992

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