Publication details

Identification of Some Adhesives and Wood Pyrolysis Products of Archaeological Origin by Direct Inlet Mass Spectrometry

Authors

PROKEŠ Lubomír HLOŽEK Martin

Year of publication 2007
Type Article in Periodical
Magazine / Source Chemia Analityczna (Warsaw)
MU Faculty or unit

Faculty of Arts

Citation
Field Archaeology, anthropology, ethnology
Keywords mass spectrometry; ; archaeometry; archaeology; adhesives; wood pyrolysis products; bitumen
Description DI-MS was successfully used as a screening method for identification of ancient adhesives (birch bark tar, pine tar, bitumen) and wood pyrolysis products (soot). Fragment or molecular mass peaks of some biomarkers, e.g. diterpenoids (pine tar), triterpenoids (birch bark tar), or long chain linear aliphatic hydrocarbons and terpenes (bitumen) were of the utmost importance for identification. It was also possible to distinguish between soot of soft- and hardwood origin from the presence of fragment peaks of syringyl moieties, if methoxylated phenols were still present in the sample. Mass peaks of retene were an indicator of hightemperature (above 350 C) thermal treatment of coniferous resin or softwood. Pyrolysis products of resin acids served as indicators of softwood burning if methoxyphenol moieties were absent due to their volatility at high temperatures.
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