Traces of water catalyze zinc soap crystallization in solvent-exposed oil paints

Hermans, Jan; Helwig, Kate; Woutersen, Sander; Keune, Katrien

doi:10.1039/d2cp04861b

Cited by 6 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…Of particular concern for the preservation of works of art painted with zinc white is the reaction between free fatty acids and zinc ions that leads to the formation of crystalline zinc soaps . Recent work indicates that the formation and crystallization kinetics of zinc soaps are strongly influenced by the presence of water. – Water may enter the oil paint via humidity in the environment or water-based cleaning and consolidation solutions used in conservation treatments.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Nanoconfined Water Clusters in Zinc White Oil Paint

Duivenvoorden,

Caporaletti,

Woutersen

et al. 2023

J. Phys. Chem. C

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Pigments in oil paint are bound by a complex oil polymer network that is prone to water-related chemical degradation. We use cryo-Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry to study how water distributes inside zinc white oil paint. By measuring water freezing and melting transitions, we show that water-saturated zinc white oil paint contains both liquid-like clustered water and nonclustered water. A comparison of titanium white paint and nonpigmented model systems indicates that water clustering happens near the pigment− polymer interface. The cluster size was estimated in the nanometer range based on the ice melting and freezing temperatures and on the position of the O−D vibration band. As liquid-like water can play a crucial role in the dissolution and transport of ions and molecules, understanding the factors that favor this phenomenon is essential for establishing safe conditions for the conservation of painted works of art.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“… 32 Recent work indicates that the formation and crystallization kinetics of zinc soaps are strongly influenced by the presence of water. 34 – 36 Water may enter the oil paint via humidity in the environment or water-based cleaning and consolidation solutions used in conservation treatments.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%