title: Using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy to assess preservation quality of archaeological bones by measurement of calcium-to-fluorine ratios.
abstract: We determined calcium-to-fluorine (Ca/F) signal ratios at the surface and in the depth dimension in approximately 6000-year-old sheep and cattle bones using Ca I 671.8 and F I 685.6 emission lines. Because the bones had been previously analyzed for collagen preservation quality by measurement of C/N ratios at the Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit, we were able to examine the correlation between our ratios and quality of preservation. In the bones analyzed in this experiment, the Ca I 671.8/F I 685.6 ratio was generally lower and decreased with successive laser pulses into poorly preserved bones while the ratio was generally higher and increased with successive laser pulses into well-preserved bones. After 210 successive pulses, a discriminator value for this ratio (5.70) could be used to distinguish well-preserved and poorly preserved bones regardless of species.
authors: Department of Chemistry, University of Scranton, Scranton, Pennsylvania 18510, USA. rusakd2@scranton.edu
authors: David Alexander
authors: DA
authors: Rusak
authors: Ryan Matthew
authors: RM
authors: Marsico
authors: Brett Louis
authors: BL
authors: Taroli
mesh_terms: D000365:Age Determination by Skeleton / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D000818:Animals; D001106:Archaeology / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000737:chemistry*; D002118:Calcium / Q000032:analysis*; D002417:Cattle; D004867:Equipment Design; D005461:Fluorine / Q000032:analysis*; D053844:Lasers, Solid-State; D011309:Preservation, Biological / Q000592:standards; D025341:Principal Component Analysis; D012756:Sheep; D013057:Spectrum Analysis / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D005461:Fluorine; D002118:Calcium