Identification of diterpenes in canvas painting varnishes by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry with combined derivatisation

An Enhanced GC/MS Procedure for the Identification of Proteins in Paint Microsamples

The chemical characterization of materials used in works of art is extremely useful for gaining a better knowledge of the artistic heritage and to guarantee its preservation. A derivatization GC/MS procedure for the identification of proteins in a microsample from painted works of art has been optimized. The amino acid fraction is derivatized using anhydrous dimethylformamide (DMF) as solvent instead of pyridine (Py), commonly used to facilitate the reaction. Although pyridine is often considered a silylation catalyst, there are many instances in which silylation reactions actually are slower in pyridine than other solvents. In addition, pyridine also may have other undesirable effects such as the promotion of secondary products and other chromatographic anomalies. Using DMF, the formation of artifacts is limited and the derivatization yield of hydrophilic amino acids such as proline and hydroxyproline has improved, thus making the identification of organic paint media more straightforward. The method has been validated and successfully applied to identify the binder of the sample taken from the pictorial cycle of the 12th century monastery of Santa Maria delle Cerrate (Lecce, Italy), thus highlighting the use of eggs as a binding medium.

Markers, Reactions, and Interactions during the Aging of Pinus Resin Assessed by Raman Spectroscopy

The resin extracted from the species of the Pinus genus (Pinaceae family) is a widely used material. Primarily, resins are made up of two types of diterpenoids: abietanes and pimaranes. Their composition changes with aging, affecting their chemical and physical properties; however, the chemical changes that occur during aging are not yet fully known. Understanding the evolution of pimaranes and abietanes and the chemical composition of the aged resins is essential to make the most of this substance and of its derivatives. A systematic study of the aging of Pinus resin with Raman complemented with infrared (IR) spectroscopy was carried out. This study provided new information about the interactions among the constituting molecules in resins aged over many years. In particular the formation of intermolecular hydrogen bonds in aged samples was detected for the first time, and the formation of acid anhydrides from the reaction between pimaranes was demonstrated. Furthermore, Raman and IR spectra band assignments are proposed, and the specific markers of the main compounds of the resin are tagged. This will facilitate the qualitative analysis of resin compounds.

Ageing of resin from Pinus species assessed by infrared spectroscopy

Resins obtained from Pinus genus species have been widely used in very different fields throughout history. As soon as the resins are secreted, molecular changes start altering their chemical, mechanical and optical properties. The ageing processes are complex, and the chemical and structural changes associated with resin degradation are not yet fully known. Many questions still remain open, for instance changes happening in pimaranes, one of the two diterpenoid constituents of the resin. A systematic study of the ageing process of Pinus resins is done through Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) using chemical standards and complementing the obtained results with gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis when necessary. Moreover, long-term degradation processes are also investigated through the analysis of a selection of dated historical resins. This study overcomes the limitations of GC/MS and brings new information about the reactions and interactions between molecules during Pinus resin ageing processes. It also provides information about which bonds are affected and unaffected, and these can be used as specific markers of the degradation and of the resins themselves. Graphical Abstract Changes in the IR spectral features due to the Pinus resin ageing processes.

Development of a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry method to monitor in a single run, mono- to triterpenoid compounds distribution in resinous plant materials

A new procedure based on gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was developed for the simultaneous determination of mono- to triterpenoid compounds in resinous materials. Given the difference of volatility and polarity of the studied compounds some critical steps in this methodology had to be identified and investigated. The recovery of volatile compounds after sample extraction was studied. A recovery range from 30% to 100% from the more volatile monoterpene to the least one was observed. Then the mandatory derivatization step for the analysis of pentacyclic triterpenes bearing hydroxyl and carboxyl groups was optimized. Results showed that derivatization using N,O-bis(trimethylsilyl)trifluoroacetamide (BSTFA) and trimethylchlorosilane (TMCS) in pyridine (22:13:65 v/v/v) for 2h at 30 °C was the most efficient method of derivatizing all the hydroxyl and carboxylic acid groups contained in the triterpene structures. After choosing the best injection parameters for these compounds, the selectivity of the GC column towards the separation of these terpenoids was investigated using statistical tools (principal component analysis and desirability functions). A separation with a good resolution was achieved on an HP-5ms column using a programmed temperature vaporizing injector (PTV). The method was pre-validated in terms of detection limits (LOD from 100 μg L(-1) to 200 μg L(-1) depending on the compound), linearity and repeatability using seven compounds representative of mono- and triterpenoid classes. An exhaustive characterization of various types of resins (di-, triterpenic and oleo-gum resins) was achieved.

Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry and pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry for the chemical characterisation of modern and archaeological figs (Ficus carica)

Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) after alkaline hydrolysis, solvent extraction and trimethylsilylation, and analytical pyrolysis using hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS) for in situ derivatisation followed by gas chromatographic/mass spectrometric analysis (Pyrolysis-silylation-GC/MS) were used to investigate the hydrolysable and soluble constituents, and the polymerised macromolecules of an archaeological fig (Ficus carica) recovered in Zaragoza (Spain), as well as of modern figs. The main aim was to study the compositional alterations undergone by the fig tissues in a particular archaeological environment: the fig was in a vessel and covered by a layer of a mixture of orpiment and gypsum. A comparison between the GC/MS results from modern and archaeological figs revealed that degradative reactions took place, leading to the disappearance/depletion of reactive (unsaturated fatty acids) and sensitive compounds (phytosterols and triterpenes). Py-silylation-GC/MS data provided evidence of a significant degradation of the saccharide and lipid components of the fig tissue, which left a residue enriched in polyphenols and polyesters.

Chemical Composition of Natural Colophony from Pinus Brutia and Comparison with Synthetic Colophony

The compositions of colophony resins obtained from Pinus brutia Ten trees by three different methods (acid paste, carved hole and scraping) from Ayvacık, Gökova and Kemalpaşa in Turkey were analyzed by capillary GC-MS. The main components were the monoterpenes α-pinene, β-pinene, and Δ3-carene, and the diterpenic resin acids palustric, abietic, kaur-9(11)-16-en-18-oic and neoabietic acid. The synthetic colophony resins exhibited similar contents to those of the natural resins obtained from the Gökova and Kemalpaşa regions of Turkey. However, colophony resins from Ayvacık exhibited only half the diterpenic acid content as those of the Gökova and Kemalpaşa resins. Out of the three techniques, the carved hole method caused rather different percentages in the constituents of the essential oils.

Novel analytical methods for characterising binding media and protective coatings in artworks

Since the first reported analytical studies and technical examinations of art and archaeological objects conducted in the late 18th century, analytical techniques and methods applied to the study of artworks have constantly grown. Among the materials composing the art object, organic compounds used as binding media or protective coatings have attracted the attention of the conservation profession given their noticeable ability for undergoing morphological and chemical changes on ageing. Thus, the aim of this paper is to review the most recent advances in the identification and determination of organic compounds present in art and art conservation materials. Immunofluorescence techniques have been proposed in recent decades as an alternative to the classical and simpler microchemical tests. Besides, a variety of instrumental techniques have also been improved in an attempt to enhance the sensitivity, repeatability and accuracy of the analytical results. Spectroscopic techniques, such as UV-vis, FTIR and Raman spectroscopy, have been coupled with light microscopes for these purposes. Synchrotron radiation FTIR microspectroscopy has also been successfully applied to the analysis of artworks. Mass spectrometry has also been increasingly used as a detector system coupled with a chromatographic device. Chromatographic methods have also improved in recent years. Paper and thin layer chromatographic techniques have been progressively replaced with gas chromatography (GC), pyrolysis-GC, high performance liquid chromatography and capillary electrophoresis. More complex proteomics hyphenated techniques, such as nano-liquid chromatography-nano-electrospray ionisation/collision quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry, have been recently applied to the identification and determination of proteinaceous binders. Microbeam analytical techniques have also been incorporated into the list of advanced instrumental techniques for art conservation purposes. Finally, a number of new instrumental techniques have been proposed as a suitable alternative to the conventional microscopy techniques for morphological studies.

Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy as a suitable technique in the study of the materials used in waterproofing of archaeological amphorae

The resinous materials from the interior surfaces of two Roman and one Iberian amphora were studied with Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The results were then compared with those obtained by synchrotron radiation-FTIR, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The FTIR spectra obtained by the technique of KBr micropellets, prepared directly with the materials scraped from the amphora without any further sample preparation, provided enough information to establish their diterpenoic nature, and even to differentiate between the two main materials employed for waterproofing purposes, pitch and wood tar. Methyl dehydroabietic acid (DHAM) is the main chemical marker that allows a distinction to be made between these two materials. Pitch and wood tar were prepared in the laboratory heating pine resin and resinous pine wood, respectively. These resinous waterproofing materials were compared with the coatings extracted from the amphorae. The samples whose direct FTIR spectra showed a signal at approximately 1740 cm(-1), attributed to a carbonyl group of methyl ester, presented as well a peak of DHAM in the GC-MS chromatogram of the neutral fraction of their extract. Samples without this signal in their spectra did not present DHAM in their chromatogram. This work studies, for the first time, waterproofing of an amphora attributed to the Iberian culture.

Analysis of diterpenoic compounds in natural resins applied as binders in museum objects by capillary electrophoresis

The exudates of conifers consist mainly of diterpenoic acids of the abietane and pimarane type (abietic, neoabietic, dehydroabietic, palustric, pimaric, isopimaric, levopimaric and sandaracopimaric acid) and larixol acetate. These natural resins were used as adhesives, coatings, varnishes or plasticizers in artistic and historic works since ancient times. For the purpose of conservation and restoration and for art historic examination of such museum objects the identification of the binding media used is undoubtedly of paramount importance. In the present paper, the characterization of these resins based on the pattern of their diterpenoid constituents is carried out by capillary electrophoresis. For separation a background electrolyte which has been initially introduced for the analysis of chlorinated and natural resin acids in waste water was modified and the experimental conditions were adjusted in terms of resolution and analysis time. Separation was carried out in borate buffer at pH 9.25 (ionic strength 20 mmol L(-1)) with methyl-beta-cyclodextrin and sulfobutylether-beta-cyclodextrin as additives to increase selectivity and enhance the solubility of the analytes. With this electrophoretic system the resin acids of interest and larixol acetate--all as anionic cyclodextrin complexes--were separated within 5 min and detected at 200, 250 and 270 nm with a diode array detector. The electrophoretic patterns served for the characterisation of the relevant diterpenoic resins, balsams and copals. Sample pre-treatment was limited to sonication in methanol at 55 degrees C for 30 min. This enables the identification of the resins in mixtures with other binders like plant gums, animal glues or drying oils, even when these media are present in excess. Colophony was identified as resinous constituent of a modelling mass for gilded frames originating from the 19th century.

Study of the influencing effect of pigments on the photoageing of terpenoid resins used as pictorial media

Terpenoid resins have been mainly used as components of pictorial varnishes and binding media from ancient times. In such latest instances, the resin is mixed with pigments affecting its physical and chemical properties. A new procedure based on gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) has been applied, in this work, in combination with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), with the aim of determining the changes undergone by di- and triterpenoid resins employed as components of binding media. The GC/MS method is based on the derivatisation of these resins using trimethylsilylimidazol. Characterization of the main components of the di- and triterpenoid fractions and their oxidised products, occurring in the diterpenoid resin colophony and a triterpenoid Mexical copal (Bursera cuneata (Schl) Engl.), has been achieved. Artificially photoaged specimens of pure resin and binary systems pigment+resin prepared as thin films using lead white, ochre yellow, umber raw and verdigris have also been analysed to study the changes undergone by the di- and triterpenoid components of the resins. Oxidation processes taking place on di- and triterpenoids during photoageing are described. Moreover, the results obtained indicate that pigments have a different effect on the two studied resins. Thus, the presence of pigments induces, in general, a catalysing effect on the oxidative polymerisation reactions in the earliest stages of the natural curing of the paint films whereas a loss of the catalysing effectiveness, in particular, for verdigris containing specimens, is observed during photoageing. Complexation of diterpenoid molecules with copper(II) ions in the earliest stages of the curing has also been evidenced by FTIR analysis.

Combined GC/MS Analytical Procedure for the Characterization of Glycerolipid, Waxy, Resinous, and Proteinaceous Materials in a Unique Paint Microsample

A novel GC/MS analytical procedure for the identification of lipids, waxes, proteins, and resinous materials in the same microsample from painted works of art has been optimized. It is based on a sample multistep chemical pretreatment (solvent extractions and microwave-assisted chemolysis) that is able to separate the various organic components into different fractions, which are suitably treated and derivatized before analysis. In particular, the procedure allows the complete saponification of wax esters and the completeness of the Cannizzaro type reaction of shellac acids in conditions that are suitable also for glycerides saponification. The method was tested on reference materials for the identification of proteinaceous binders (egg, collagen, casein) on the basis of the quantitative determination of the amino acid profile and the identification of glycerolipids (linseed oil, poppy seed oil, walnut oil, and egg), plant resins (Pinaceae resins, sandarac, mastic, and dammar), animal resins (shellac), tars or pitches, and natural waxes (beeswax, carnauba wax) on the basis of the determination of fatty acid, alcohol, and hydrocarbon profiles and of significant terpenic molecular markers. The procedure was applied to the characterization of three old paint microsamples. Animal glue, egg, linseed oil, beeswax, Pinaceae resin, dammar, and shellac were the identified materials found in mixtures and recognized as original and/or restoration substances.

Development of water-phase derivatization followed by solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry for fast determination of valproic acid in human plasma

In this study, a simple, rapid, and sensitive method was developed and validated for the quantification of valproic acid (VPA), an antiepileptic drug, in human plasma, which was based on water-phase derivatization followed by headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). In the proposed method, VPA in plasma was rapidly derivatized with a mixture of isobutyl chloroformate, ethanol and pyridine under mild conditions (room temperature, aqueous medium), and the VPA ethyl ester formed was headspace-extracted and simultaneously concentrated using the SPME technique. Finally, the analyte extracted on SPME fiber was analyzed by GC/MS. The experimental parameters and method validations were studied. The optimal conditions were obtained: PDMS fiber, stirring rate of 1100 rpm, sample temperature of 80 degrees C, extraction time of 20 min, NaCl concentration of 30%. The proposed method had a limit of quantification (0.3 microg/mL), good recovery (89-97%) and precision (RSD value less than 10%). Because the proposed method combined a rapid water-phase derivatization with a fast, simple and solvent-free sample extraction and concentration technique of SPME, the sample preparation time was less than 25 min. This much shortens the whole analysis time of VPA in plasma. The validated method has been successfully used to analyze VPA in human plasma samples for application in pharmacokinetic studies. All these results show that water-phase derivatization followed by HS-SPME and GC/MS is an alternative and powerful method for fast determination of VPA in biological fluids.

Study of Burseraceae resins used in binding media and varnishes from artworks by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry and pyrolysis-gas chromatography–mass spectrometry

In the present work, a study attempting to characterize the Manila elemi and Mexican copal resins from the Burseraceae family, which are used as components of varnishes and binding media of artworks, has been carried out. A new GC-MS method involving the use of methyl chloroformate as derivatisation reagent has been proposed. A second method which uses pyrolysis-GC-MS and hexamethyldisilazane as derivatization reagent has also been applied. Characterization of the main components of the mono-, sesqui- and triterpenoid fractions occurring in the raw materials has been achieved. Both alpha- and beta-amyrin have been established as the major triterpenoid compounds occurring in these resins together with hop-22(29)-en-3beta-ol, found only in the Mexican copal. Artificially aged samples of Manila elemi and Mexican copal have also been analysed in order to study the stability of the triterpenoid components of the resins and their possible use as marker molecules. The results obtained indicate that these molecules, in particular, alpha- and beta-amyrin undergo oxidation processes during both artificial and natural ageing. Nevertheless, hop-22(29)-en-3beta-ol could be selected as marker compound for Mexican copal. The proposed methods of analysis have been applied to real paint samples extracted from paintings in which Mexican copal was present as the main component of an "oleoresin" binding medium to assess their ability for identifying this product when used in artworks. Satisfactory identification of this resin is obtained by means of GC-MS whereas Py-GC-MS provides, in general, weaker signals for the components of the resin. Additionally, the influence of the pigments present in real samples on the resin ageing process has been considered.

Analytical characterization of diterpenoid resins present in pictorial varnishes using pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry with on line trimethylsilylation

A procedure based on the technique of the pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (Py-GC-MS) has been applied, in this work, in order to determine the composition of diterpenoid resin employed in art works. The method is based on the on line derivatization of these resins using hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS). Results obtained were compared with those previously reported in literature from Venice turpentine, Strasbourg turpentine, colophony, sandarac and Manila copal using this same method and with those others from in situ thermally assisted hydrolysis and methylation with tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH). Canada balsam, copper resinate and Copaiba balsam have been also analyzed extending the scope of this method in the field of the analysis of artwork materials. Several non-reported trimethylsilylated derivatives of compounds present in the diterpenoid resins have been identified. An improvement in sensitivity has been obtained by using HMDS as derivatizing reagent, together with a better resolution of the most representative peaks. Additionally, this method reduces the number of pyrolytic fragmentation, recombination, dehydration and isomerization products formed during the pyrolysis process and, in consequence, more simplified chromatograms are obtained. Finally, the reported procedure has been successfully used for characterizing two diterpenoid resin-based varnishes present in the canvas painting "The Betrothal of the Virgin" (Anonymous, 17th century) which is included in the pictorial collection of Saint Joseph Church in Taormina (Italy) and the Magdalena Tryptich (Master of Alzira, 16th century, Valencia, Spain).