37478 - Analytical Chemistry of Organic Materials

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the student will acquire knowledge concerning evaluation criteria and application aspects related with the main analytical technique used for the characterization of the heritage organic materials as well as the sampling and sample pre-treatment procedures. At the end of the laboratory the student will acquire knowledge concerning the experimenting methods for the interpretation of chromatographic and spectrometric data in the identification and quantitation of organic components.

Course contents

Classification of organic materials on the basis of their molecular structure and chemical properties. Biomolecules (dyes, lipids, polysaccharides, proteins, lignin) and synthetic polymers. Basic concepts of the analytical procedure. Methods of separation: solvent extraction and chromatography. Methods of detection: mass spectrometry. Chromatographic techniques: TLC, HPLC-MS, GC-MS, HTGC. Sample treatment: chemical degradation (hydrolysis, methanolysis) and thermal degradation (pyrolysis). Data interpretation: identification and quantitation of analytes, relative distribution, chemical fingerprinting, molecular markers, degradation of the material, matrix effects and interferents, analytical artefacts. Quantitative methods. Applications to the identification of organic materials in art and archaeology: pigments, dyes, oils, waxes, bituminous materials, gums, proteinaceous ligands, woody materials, resins, fibers. Data base in bibliography search. Laboratory exercise. Case studies.

Readings/Bibliography

Lesson slides in AMS. Laboratory papers.
J.S.Mills e R.W.White, The Organic Chemistry of Museum Objects, 1996.

Organic Mass Spectroemtry in Art and Archaeology. MP.Colombini, F. Modugno Eds, Wiley and Sons, 2009

Teaching methods

Videoprojector. PC. Data base. Laboratory equipment. MS software.

Assessment methods

Oral examination. The student will be required to discuss a journal article dealing with the application of chromatography to a sample of interest in the field of cultural heritage. The student will be asked to describe the analytical steps for the identification of a selected organic material by means of chromatographic techniques, starting from sample treatment to data interpretation. The knowledge of the chemical structure of the most important organic substances described in the course is mandatory. The knowledge acquired in the laboratory exercise will be also examined.

Teaching tools

Lecturing, tutorials, utilisation of data base for searching analytical methods, exercises from case study, laboratory.

Office hours

See the website of Daniele Fabbri