Articolo in rivista, 2015, ENG, 10.1016/j.jaap.2015.06.005

Archaeological wood degradation at the site of Biskupin (Poland): Wet chemical analysis and evaluation of specific Py-GC/MS profiles

Tamburini, Diego; ?ucejko, Jeannette Jacqueline; ?ucejko, Jeannette Jacqueline; Zborowska, Magdalena; Modugno, Francesca; Pr?dzy?ski, W?odzimierz; Colombini, Maria Perla; Colombini, Maria Perla

Universita di Pisa; Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche; Uniwersytet Przyrodniczy w Poznaniu; Wood Technology Institute, Poznan

Eight samples of ca. 3000 year old oak wood from the Biskupin site and a piece of sound oak (Quercus sp.) wood were analysed. The degradation state of archaeological oak wood was investigated using two analytical approaches: classical wet chemical analysis and analytical pyrolysis coupled with gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) with in situ silylation. The results were compared with those obtained for sound oak wood. Chemical analysis provided information on the amount of wood components. Their alteration at a molecular level was investigated by Py-GC/MS, highlighting how degradation can affect the formation of primary and secondary wood pyrolysis products. The results showed that the chemical changes in the wood material in the eight samples examined had different entities and extents with comparison to sound oak wood. Samples taken from the external parts of the fragments had undergone a significant loss in polysaccharide components, whereas the internal parts were in a relatively good state of preservation. Evaluation of the relative amounts of pyrolysis products deriving from holocellulose and lignin highlighted that specific categories of compounds, such as lignin monomers and anhydrosugars, can be taken as an index for good preservation of wood components. These results will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the in situ conservation strategy by repeating the analyses on these samples after some years and comparing the results.

Journal of analytical and applied pyrolysis (Print) 115 , pp. 7–15

Keywords

Archaeological wood, Degradation, Py-GC/MS, Silylation, Wet chemical analysis

CNR authors

Colombini Maria Perla

CNR institutes

ID: 345372

Year: 2015

Type: Articolo in rivista

Creation: 2016-01-25 16:39:11.000

Last update: 2017-01-10 09:03:44.000

External IDs

CNR OAI-PMH: oai:it.cnr:prodotti:345372

DOI: 10.1016/j.jaap.2015.06.005

Scopus: 2-s2.0-84942292688