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Bosi A, Ciccola A, Serafini I, Berbers S, Proano Gaibor AN, Cwiertnia E, Postorino P, Favero G, van Bommel MR. To take unseen: direct gel-supported liquid extraction for multi-technique characterization of organic colourants in paint layers. Talanta 2025; 293:128041. [PMID: 40233531 DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2025.128041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2024] [Revised: 03/26/2025] [Accepted: 03/27/2025] [Indexed: 04/17/2025]
Abstract
The study of organic colourants employed in artworks is a fundamental topic for history and conservation research; however, the most critical aspect in such matter arises from the necessity of sampling. Instead of binding media and inorganic components, natural organic colourants often exhibit weak signals during non-invasive analyses, which can be easily masked in complex mixtures, such as paint layers. To overcome this problem, the preferred approach is to take a sample, extract the colourants and analyse them using specific analytical techniques. The proposed method of direct agar gel-supported liquid extraction, performed using a Pasteur pipette tip, offers a promising solution to this challenge. By extracting colourants without the need for paint sample removal, it minimises visible impact on the artwork while still providing sufficient material for spectroscopic and mass spectrometric characterization. The experimental approach, which involved mock-up of mixing different organic and inorganic pigments with different binders and subjecting them to artificial ageing, simulates real-world complex matrices and assesses the effectiveness of the extraction method. Photomicrographs were used to document the procedure's visible impact. Mass spectrometry and surface-enhanced Raman scattering spectroscopy, the techniques of choice for invasive analysis of organic colourants, were used on the analytes extracted from the gel. The method application on paint patches from historical catalogues, housed in the Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz collection, adds practical relevance to the study and demonstrates the applicability of the technique to authentic artworks. The procedure enabled the identification of natural and synthetic colourants without compromising the integrity of the paint systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adele Bosi
- Institute for Complex Systems, National Research Council (ISC-CNR), P.le Aldo Moro 5, Rome, Italy.
| | - Alessandro Ciccola
- Sapienza University of Rome, Department of Environmental Biology, P.le Aldo Moro 5, Rome, Italy
| | - Ilaria Serafini
- Sapienza University of Rome, Department of Environmental Biology, P.le Aldo Moro 5, Rome, Italy
| | - Sanne Berbers
- Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands, Amersfoort/Amsterdam, the Netherlands; University of Amsterdam, van't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences, Science Park 904, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | | | - Elke Cwiertnia
- Rathgen-Forschungslabor, Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz, Schloßstr. 1A, Berlin, Germany
| | - Paolo Postorino
- Sapienza University of Rome, Department of Physics, P.le Aldo Moro 5, Rome, Italy
| | - Gabriele Favero
- Sapienza University of Rome, Department of Environmental Biology, P.le Aldo Moro 5, Rome, Italy
| | - Maarten R van Bommel
- University of Amsterdam, van't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences, Science Park 904, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam School for Heritage, Memory and Material Culture, Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage, P.O. Box 94552, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
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Exploration of the protein conformation and mechanical properties of different spider silks. J Mol Struct 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molstruc.2022.133933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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Sabatini F, Alcantara‐Garcia J, Degano I. Molecular Characterization of a South American Yellow Dye Source: Cosmos Sulphureus. ChemistrySelect 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/slct.202200720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Sabatini
- Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry University of Pisa Via Moruzzi 13 56126 Pisa Italy
- CNR-Institute of Science and Chemical Technologies “Giulio Natta” (CNR-SCITEC) Via Elce di Sotto 8 01628 Perugia Italy
| | | | - Ilaria Degano
- Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry University of Pisa Via Moruzzi 13 56126 Pisa Italy
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Colour Analysis: An Introduction to the Power of Studying Pigments and Dyes in Archaeological and Historical Objects. HERITAGE 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/heritage4040241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Nature offers a myriad of colours and the desire to replicate them is intrinsic to human nature [...]
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