The Assessment of Bone Deterioration with Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy in a Multidisciplinary Context: The Case of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Sedlec, Czechia

Abstract

Human remains from the skeletal collection of the UNESCO world heritage site of Sedlec (Czechia) have been investigated with 1H, 31P and 13C magic‐angle‐spinning nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The quantitative description of the component of the phosphorus signal attributed to the external amorphous hydrated layer of the mineral apatite particles is considered a sensitive index of the bone integrity, in general agreement with indicators of decay derived from other analytical techniques. Differences in proton and phosphorus resonances were related to deterioration effects, allowing for the identification of local conditions posing a threat to bone preservation.

Investigation of Carbonate Substitution in Hydroxyapatite by Combining Solid‐state NMR and DFT Calculations

“…In this context, solid-state NMR has been shown to be a useful tool for the characterization of HAp and calcium phosphates. [24] Due to high sensitivity, spin-1/2 1 H and 31 P nuclei were more specifically investigated both in 1D [25][26][27][28] and 2D correlation experiments. [29,30] 43 Ca nucleus, although less convenient from an NMR point of view (low sensitivity and quadrupolar interactions [31] ), is also an interesting spectroscopic probe.…”