title: Simultaneous identification of historical pigments Prussian blue and indigo in paintings by electrospray mass spectrometry.
abstract: A new analytical protocol for identification of Prussian blue (PB) and indigo was proposed. Pigments useful for dating of artworks were detected by flow injection analysis/electrospray ionization mass spectrometry after alkalization of their suspensions in water, decomposition of PB to iron (III) hydroxide and hexacyanoferrate (II) and reduction of indigo to soluble leucoindigo using sodium dithionite. Limits of detection (PB 47 pg, indigo 59 pg) complied with requirements for analysis of microsamples of historical paintings. Potential of the developed method was proven in analysis of blue samples of two oil paintings from the 20(th) century. Further, PB was confirmed in a microsample from a painting of 'Crucifixion', St. Sebestian church on St. Hill in Mikulov, Czech Republic.
authors.affiliation: Regional Centre of Advanced Technologies and Materials, Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Palacký University in Olomouc, 17. listopadu 12, 771 46, Olomouc, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Volodymyr
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Pauk
authors.forename: Vladimír
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Havlíček
authors.forename: Barbora
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Papoušková
authors.forename: Petr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sulovský
authors.forename: Karel
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lemr
mesh_terms: D004396:Coloring Agents / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry; D018153:Czech Republic; D005295:Ferrocyanides / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D049673:History, 20th Century; D007203:Indigo Carmine / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D010150:Paint / Q000032:analysis*; D010151:Paintings / Q000266:history*; D021241:Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D004396:Coloring Agents; D005295:Ferrocyanides; D007203:Indigo Carmine; C000170:ferric ferrocyanide
keywords: Prussian blue; electrospray; historical painting; indigo; mass spectrometry