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Extraction of Material from Oil Paints by Solvents

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 March 2011

David Erhardt ,
Roland H. Cunningham  and
Sirpa Räsänen
David Erhardt
Affiliation:
Smithsonian Center for Materials Research and Education, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. 20560, U.S.A.
Roland H. Cunningham
Affiliation:
Smithsonian Center for Materials Research and Education, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. 20560, U.S.A.
Sirpa Räsänen
Affiliation:
Institute of Arts and Design, Lummetie 2, 01300 Vantaa, Finland
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Abstract

Drying oils used to formulate oil paints consist primarily of polyunsaturated triglycerides, along with smaller amounts of mono- and diglycerides, free fatty acids, and other compounds such as sterols. The drying of oils occurs through an oxidative crosslinking process that also produces smaller scission products such as short chain fatty acids and diacids. Compounds that are not attached to the crosslinked oil matrix include glycerin, the unreactive free saturated fatty acids and their glycerides, soaps of fatty acids produced by reaction with metal ions from the pigment, and scission products. As the oil ages, additional soluble material is produced by hydrolysis of glyceride esters. These relatively low molecular weight compounds can be extracted by exposure to solvents, as occurs during the cleaning of paintings. Excessive extraction of material canembrittle the paint film and affect the appearance of the paint. This paper examines the types and amounts of compounds extracted from oil paint films as a function of solvent, exposure time, pigment, and age of the paint. The results indicate that solvents vary more in the speed that they extract material than in their selectivity. The composition of the extracts is consistent with predictions based on the mechanisms of the drying and aging processes. These results confirm the importance of using the least polar solvent possible to clean paintings and to formulate varnishes.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 712: Symposium II – Materials Issues in Art and Archaeology VI , 2002 , II1.7
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2002

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References

REFERENCES

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