title: A round robin exercise in archaeometry: analysis of a blind sample reproducing a seventeenth century pharmaceutical ointment.
abstract: Chemical analysis of ancient residues of pharmaceutical or cosmetic preparations such as balms or ointments is made problematic by the high complexity of these mixtures, composed of organic and inorganic materials. Consequently, a multi-analytical approach and special caution in the interpretation of the results are necessary. In order to contribute to the improvement of analytical strategies for the characterization of complex residues and to reconstruct ancient medical practices, a replica of a pharmaceutical formulation of the seventeenth century was prepared in the laboratory according to a historically documented recipe. In a round robin exercise, a portion of the preparation was analysed as a blind sample by 11 laboratories using various analytical techniques. These included spectroscopic, chromatographic and mass spectrometric methods. None of the laboratories was able to completely reconstruct the complex formulation, but each of them gave partial positive results. The round robin exercise has demonstrated that the application of a multi-analytical approach can permit a complete and reliable reconstruction of the composition. Finally, on the basis of the results, an analytical protocol for the study of residues of ancient medical and pharmaceutical preparations has been outlined.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Chimica, SCIBEC, Università di Pisa, Pisa, Italy. perla@dcci.unipi.it
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Colombini
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Modugno
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Gamberini
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rocchi
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Baraldi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Deviese
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Stacey
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Orlandi
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Saliu
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Riedo
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Chiantore
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sciutto
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Catelli
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Brambilla
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Toniolo
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Miliani
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rocchi
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bleton
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Baumer
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dietemann
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pojana
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Marras
mesh_terms: D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D049670:History, 17th Century; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D009824:Ointments / Q000737:chemistry*; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; D013059:Spectrum Analysis, Raman; D013678:Technology, Pharmaceutical / Q000266:history*
chemical_list: D009824:Ointments