Infrared spectral characterization of the molecular wood decay in terms of age

Tintner, Johannes; Spangl, Bernhard; Reiter, F. J.; Smidt, E.; Grabner, Michael

doi:10.1007/s00226-020-01160-x

Cited by 13 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 26 publications

(25 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…However, a close exposure to mineral components, especially to clayey materials, influences the aging process. This fact has also been observed for wood 55 . Rechberger et al 56 documented an accelerated aging process for biochar in acidic soils.…”

Section: Sample Set With Partially High Content Of Mineral Compounds supporting

confidence: 79%

Infrared spectroscopy refines chronological assessment, depositional environment and pyrolysis conditions of archeological charcoals

Smidt

Tintner

Nelle

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Based on infrared spectral characteristics, six archeological sample sets of charcoals from German (5) and Brazilian (1) sites, covering the time span from the nineteenth century CE to 3950 BCE, were compared to a chronological (present to the fifteenth century BCE) series of Austrian charcoals. A typical chronological trend of several bands (stretch vibrations: O-CO of carboxylates at 1,585-1,565 and 1,385-1,375 cm −1 , CO carboxylic acids at 1,260-1,250 cm −1) that indicate oxidation and subsequently increasing hydrophilicity (O-H stretch vibration at about 3,400 cm −1) was also contained in the archive samples. Three sample sets fit in the typical band development according to their age. For three sample sets this conformity was not observed. Despite the age of two sample sets (3950-2820 BCE), most charcoals were assigned to the Modern Period. Apart from the high degree of carbonization, anaerobic depositional conditions over a longer period of time seem to contribute to the surprising conservation. Non-removable mineral components in charcoals, as observed in a third sample set, strongly influence infrared band intensities and positions of organic compounds. The role of inorganic components in terms of charcoal aging, and the information we can obtain from spectral characteristics in an archeological context, are discussed. Black carbon (BC), a product of incomplete combustion, comprises a wide range of charred organic materials with different chemical and physical properties. Charcoal represents a main component. Apart from its function as remains in the historical and archeological context, its behavior, stability and turnover under different environmental conditions are the focus of numerous investigations in diverse research fields. Due to its recalcitrance, BC is considered to be a relevant sink in the carbon cycle 1. Stable and relatively persistent BC is found in deep marine sediments 2 , at archeological sites 3,4 and as component of Chernozems 5,6. Charcoals are archeological evidences for former land use and deforestation 7 and support the reconstruction of the long-term development of forest ecosystems 8,9 , forest fires 10-12 and anthropogenic activities associated with fire 13. Chemical changes in soils due to the aging of pyrogenic carbon from slash-and-burn practices and the evolution of stable carbon stocks were observed in the Fujian Province 14. The aim to quantify the stable carbon pool in soils and sediments and to understand the behavior of black carbon, its residence time, degradation, turnover rates and the associated influencing factors in the environment has prompted many studies, both lab and field experiments. These have led to apparently contradictory observations due to the individual chemistry of pyrogenic organic matter and different storage conditions in soils in terms of temperature, moisture and oxygen access 15. Some fundamental facts can be deduced from numerous

show abstract

Section: Sample Set With Partially High Content Of Mineral Compounds supporting

confidence: 79%

Infrared spectroscopy refines chronological assessment, depositional environment and pyrolysis conditions of archeological charcoals

Smidt

Tintner

Nelle

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…All samples were taken from the inner parts of the material, in minimum 0.5 cm of coverage protected them against ambient air. This distance was found to be critical for wood [11].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 91%

“…Acetyl groups can be seen as one of the weakest parts of the molecules. For wood, the deterioration of this molecular group during aging has been observed a number of times [8,11,13,21,22]. Methylene groups (band maxima 2920 and 2850 cm −1 ) play only a subordinate role in the molecular changes over time.…”

Section: Molecular Changes Over Timementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Molecular changes of organic materials with comparable chemical structure have been documented [8,9]. The idea to use molecular changes for the discrimination of different ages has also been discussed for charcoal [10], since wood-dating tools based on the molecular decay already have been developed [11]. These models gave reasons for the presented study, as the molecular composition of straw and wood contains the same main components [12].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Straw in Clay Bricks and Plasters—Can We Use Its Molecular Decay for Dating Purposes?

et al. 2020

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Dating of clay bricks (adobe) and plasters is a relevant topic not only for building historians in the Pannonian region. Especially in vernacular architecture in this region, clay with straw amendments is a dominant construction material. The paper presents the potential of the molecular decay of these amendments to establish prediction tools for age based on infrared spectroscopic measurements. Preliminary results revealed spectral differences between the different plant parts, especially culms, nodes, and ear spindles. Based on these results, a first prediction model is presented including 14 historic samples. The coefficient of determination for the validation reached 62.2%, the (RMSE) root mean squared error amounted to 93 years. Taking the limited sample amount and the high material heterogeneity into account, this result can be seen as a promising output. Accordingly, sample size should be increased to a minimum of 100 objects and separate models for the different plant parts should be established.

show abstract

“…Environmental factors must be stable enough to be defined as stable and not changing fluently (point (3) above). A few first cases have already been published (for some wood species, 11,12 paper, 13 and parchments 14 ), but further input from the scientific community in the future could complete the picture. Ultimately, MD can serve as an independent, innovative dating approach.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recent developments in using the molecular decay dating method: a review

Tintner

2021

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The dating of organic findings is a fundamental task for many scientific fields. Radiocarbon dating is currently the most commonly used method. For wood, dendrochronology is another state-of-the-art method. Both methods suffer from systematic restrictions, leading to samples that have not yet been able to be dated. Molecular changes over time are reported for many materials under different preservation conditions. Many of them are intrinsically monotonous. These monotonous molecular decay (MD) patterns can be understood as clocks that start at the time when a given molecule was formed. Factors that influence these clocks include input material composition and preservation conditions. Different wood species, degrees of pyrolysis, and pretreatments lead to different prediction models. Preservation conditions might change the speed of a given clock and lead to different prediction models. Currently published models for predicting the age of wood, paper, and parchment depend on infrared spectroscopy. In contrast to radiocarbon dating, dating via MD does not comprise a single methodology. Some clocks may deliver less precise results than the others. Ultimately, developing a completely different, new dating strategy-such as MD dating-will help to bring to light a treasure trove of information hidden in the darkness of organic findings.

show abstract

Infrared spectral characterization of the molecular wood decay in terms of age

Cited by 13 publications

References 26 publications

Infrared spectroscopy refines chronological assessment, depositional environment and pyrolysis conditions of archeological charcoals

Infrared spectroscopy refines chronological assessment, depositional environment and pyrolysis conditions of archeological charcoals

Straw in Clay Bricks and Plasters—Can We Use Its Molecular Decay for Dating Purposes?

Recent developments in using the molecular decay dating method: a review

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About