Thin-Layer Chromatography for Binding Media Analysis

Book excerpt: In the study and conservation of art and artifacts, natural organic materials are frequently encountered in components such as coatings, binders, and adhesives. The identification of these materials is often crucial to the attempt to characterize the technologies employed by artists or craftspeople, understand the processes and causes of deterioration, and plan appropriate conservation treatments. Yet the limited resources of many conservation laboratories put many analysis techniques beyond their reach. Thin-layer chromatography can help fill this gap. The volume consists of a handbook, protocols, and guide to reference materials. The handbook serves as a primer for the basic application of thin-layer chromatography to the analysis of binding media, adhesives, and coatings found on cultural objects; the protocols provide step-by-step instructions for the laboratory procedures involved in typical analyses; and the guide to reference materials aids in the understanding of the types of materials and documentation needed for accurate analyses by thin-layer chromatography.