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Biowaste-derived substances isolated from green compost (BBS-GC) are environmentally friendly reactants similar to humic substances, which contain multiple functionalities, that are suitable for adsorbing different kinds of pollutants in wastewater. Herein, sodium alginate (derived from brown algae) cross-linked with both Ca2+ ions and BBS-GC in the form of hydrogels and dried films are proposed as green, easy-to-form, and handleable materials for tertiary water treatments. The results show that both hydrogels and films are mechanically stable and can effectively remove differently charged dyes through an adsorption mechanism that can be described by the Freundlich model. BBS-GC-containing gels always performed better than samples prepared without BBS-GC, revealing that such unconventional materials can integrate waste valorization and water decontamination, potentially providing social and environmental benefits.

The method of Thermally assisted Hydrolysis and Methylation (THM) was applied to the analysis of plant gums that can be found in artistic and archaeological objects. The main products obtained by THM of gums arabic, cherry, tragacanth, ghatti and karaya are permethylated and partially methylated 3-deoxyaldonic acids, characteristic products obtained from alkaline hydrolysis of monosaccharides. These markers allowed only a preliminary distinction between the different gums because they are not representative of the entire monosaccharides profile. As classification on the basis of sugars quantification is impossible, multivariate data analysis was employed, using the peak areas of THM products as variables. Calculations were performed on several different sets of data, enhancing the capability of the method to differentiate gums, also when submitted to accelerated ageing treatments. A case study on samples coming from ancient Egyptian cartonnage funerary masks is presented.

Chemical analysis of ancient residues of pharmaceutical or cosmetic preparations such as balms or ointments is made problematic by the high complexity of these mixtures, composed of organic and inorganic materials. Consequently, a multi-analytical approach and special caution in the interpretation of the results are necessary. In order to contribute to the improvement of analytical strategies for the characterization of complex residues and to reconstruct ancient medical practices, a replica of a pharmaceutical formulation of the seventeenth century was prepared in the laboratory according to a historically documented recipe. In a round robin exercise, a portion of the preparation was analysed as a blind sample by 11 laboratories using various analytical techniques. These included spectroscopic, chromatographic and mass spectrometric methods. None of the laboratories was able to completely reconstruct the complex formulation, but each of them gave partial positive results. The round robin exercise has demonstrated that the application of a multi-analytical approach can permit a complete and reliable reconstruction of the composition. Finally, on the basis of the results, an analytical protocol for the study of residues of ancient medical and pharmaceutical preparations has been outlined. © 2011 Springer-Verlag.

Natural organic materials used to prepare pharmaceutical mixtures including ointments and balsams have been characterized by a combined non-destructive spectroscopic analytical approach. Three classes of materials which include vegetable oils (olive, almond and palm tree), gums (Arabic and Tragacanth) and beeswax are considered in this study according to their widespread use reported in ancient recipes. Micro-FTIR, micro-Raman and fluorescence spectroscopies have been applied to fresh and mildly thermally aged samples. Vibrational characterization of these organic compounds is reported together with tabulated frequencies, highlighting all spectral features and changes in spectra which occur following artificial aging. Synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy has been shown to be particularly useful for the assessment of changes in oils after aging; spectral difference between Tragacanth and Arabic gum could be due to variations in origin and processing of raw materials. Analysis of these materials using non-destructive spectroscopic techniques provided important analytical information which could be used to guide further study.

Plant gums are present in works of art as binding media for watercolours and adhesives for cellulosic substrates. Thermally assisted hydrolysis and methylation (THM) in combination with analytical pyrolysis coupled to GC/MS has been applied to the characterisation of plant gums typically used in artworks. THM products from standard samples of arabic gum, tragacanth gum and cherry gum were characterised. The main products identified are permethylated and partially methylated aldonic acids, characteristic of specific epimeric sugars. Aldonic acids were formed by alkaline hydrolysis of free reducing sugars and of reducing polysaccharide terminal groups, while methylation occurs during pyrolysis. The presence of these characteristic markers allows gum identification. A systematic analysis of all the parameters that can affect the marker yields was performed. In particular, the influence of pyrolysis temperature, reagent concentration and contact time between tetramethylammonium hydroxide and sample were studied, and different kinds of sample preparation procedures were tested. Some analyses on real watercolours were performed, and gum binders were classified using the peak area ratio of the main monosaccharide markers.