Scanning electron microscopy was used to study the reactivity of iron-gall inks with varying iron concentrations. Vegetable extracts with hydrolysable tannins produced stable ink, while the presence of crystal aggregates explained the low reactivity of condensed tannins. This novel archaeometric approach has proved useful in chemical corrosion studies of ancient documents.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.