title: Evidence concerning oxidation as a surface reaction in Baltic amber.
abstract: The aim of this study was to provide evidence about oxidation as a surface reaction during degradation of Baltic amber. A clear understanding of the amber-oxygen interaction modalities is essential to develop conservation techniques for museum collections of amber objects. Pellet-shaped samples, obtained from pressed amber powder, were subjected to accelerated thermal ageing. Cross-sections of the pellets were analyzed by infrared micro-spectroscopy, in order to identify and quantify changes in chemical properties. The experimental results showed strong oxidation exclusively at the exterior part of cross-sections from samples subjected to long-term thermal ageing, confirming that oxidation of Baltic amber starts from the surface.
authors.affiliation: School of Conservation, Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, Esplanaden 34, 1263 Copenhagen K, Denmark. g.pastorelli@ucl.ac.uk
authors.forename: Gianluca
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pastorelli
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Richter
authors.forename: Yvonne
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shashoua
mesh_terms: D018647:Amber / Q000737:chemistry*; D001454:Baltic States; D005580:Fossils; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D010100:Oxygen / Q000737:chemistry*; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D018647:Amber; D010100:Oxygen