Next Section Meeting

Thursday, March 25, 2021

Virtual Presentation

Presenter: Dr. Ruth Ann Armitage

Title: “Ambient ionization mass spectrometry for characterizing archeological materials.”

Time: 7:00 PM; Zoom Meeting

Link to the meeting HERE!

Determining the composition of archaeological artifacts can provide insight into their age, technology and origin, all of which can help archaeologists better understand human activities in the past. Recent developments in ambient ionization mass spectrometry have provided fast and simple approaches to the analysis of art and archaeological materials, often without the need for sample preparation.  Direct analysis in real time ionization has proven useful for identifying small molecules, like dye colorants and biomarkers in archaeological residues, while spray ionization methods make possible analysis of non-volatile and biomolecules with a minimum of sample manipulation.  This talk will review 10+ years of applications of ambient ionization mass spectrometry to a variety of different archaeological materials, from dye collections of known composition to ancient textiles and from Egyptian mummies to ancient rock paintings.