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Identification of Chemical and Physical Change During acid Cleaning of Ceramics

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 February 2011

Jessica S. Johnson ,
Harold M. Erickson  and
Harry Iceland
Jessica S. Johnson
Affiliation:
Texas Memorial Museum, Materials Conservation Lab, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78705
Harold M. Erickson
Affiliation:
Conservation Laboratory, Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78705
Harry Iceland
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78705
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Abstract

This report describes the results of two experiments characterizing chemical and physical change in ceramic constituents occurring from acid solutions commonly used to remove deposits from the surface of archaeological ceramics. The first examines the chemical effects of hydrochloric acid, in an attempt to identify the yellow color, commonly known as “acid burn,” often seen in museum collections on black-on-white sherds found in the Southwestern U.S. The compound is identified as Fe2O3H2O. The second study compares the physical effects of different acids on a group of Maya sherds. All acids tested in this study were found to cause physical damage.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 352: Symposium – Materials Issues in Art and Archaeology IV , 1995 , 831
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1995

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References

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