title: Sulfur accumulation in the timbers of King Henry VIII's warship Mary Rose: a pathway in the sulfur cycle of conservation concern.
abstract: In marine-archaeological oak timbers of the Mary Rose large amounts of reduced sulfur compounds abound in lignin-rich parts such as the middle lamella between the cell walls, mostly as thiols and disulfides, whereas iron sulfides and elemental sulfur occur in separate particles. Synchrotron-based x-ray microspectroscopy was used to reveal this environmentally significant accumulation of organosulfur compounds in waterlogged wood. The total concentration of sulfur in reduced forms is approximately 1 mass % throughout the timbers, whereas iron fluctuates up to several mass %. Conservation methods are being developed aiming to control acid-forming oxidation processes by removing the reactive iron sulfides and stabilizing the organosulfur compounds.
authors.affiliation: Department of Structural Chemistry, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden. magnuss@struc.su.se
authors.forename: Magnus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sandström
authors.forename: Farideh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Jalilehvand
authors.forename: Emiliana
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Damian
authors.forename: Yvonne
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fors
authors.forename: Ulrik
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Gelius
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: Murielle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Salomé
mesh_terms: D001106:Archaeology / Q000379:methods; D058085:Iron Compounds / Q000032:analysis; D012767:Ships; D013052:Spectrometry, X-Ray Emission; D013457:Sulfur Compounds / Q000032:analysis*; D017356:Synchrotrons; D014934:Wood
chemical_list: D058085:Iron Compounds; D013457:Sulfur Compounds