Foxing is a complex phenomenon, not yet well understood. The term is applied to stains of reddish-brown, brown, or yellowish colour, gener¬ally of small dimensions, with sharp or irregular edges, most of which, if excited with UV light, show fluorescence. Fluorescence is also often present in areas in which the alteration is not yet visible under natural light, but which is probably in for¬mation 1?9. Its formation mechanisms have been studied since 1935, however, despite more recent intensive research since the 1980s there are still no conclusive results. Some authors found evidence of bacterial and fungal stains in some foxed areas sometimes associated with the presence of iron. We decided to analyse some foxed stains present on naturally aged papers from the 16th to 18th centuries, trying to find a common trend for a better comprehension of the foxing phenomenon and also for finding restoring procedures and methods. We applied non-destructive techniques and, when it was possible, destructive techniques to carry out a more complete analyses. Some samples were treated with borane tert-butylamine complex, a reducing compound 10, to test its effectiveness in reducing oxidised functional groups present in the foxed areas.In the present work we will focus our attention on the XRF results obtained from ancient papers.
Characterization of foxing stains by chemical and spectrometric methods
Romano FP;
2001
Abstract
Foxing is a complex phenomenon, not yet well understood. The term is applied to stains of reddish-brown, brown, or yellowish colour, gener¬ally of small dimensions, with sharp or irregular edges, most of which, if excited with UV light, show fluorescence. Fluorescence is also often present in areas in which the alteration is not yet visible under natural light, but which is probably in for¬mation 1?9. Its formation mechanisms have been studied since 1935, however, despite more recent intensive research since the 1980s there are still no conclusive results. Some authors found evidence of bacterial and fungal stains in some foxed areas sometimes associated with the presence of iron. We decided to analyse some foxed stains present on naturally aged papers from the 16th to 18th centuries, trying to find a common trend for a better comprehension of the foxing phenomenon and also for finding restoring procedures and methods. We applied non-destructive techniques and, when it was possible, destructive techniques to carry out a more complete analyses. Some samples were treated with borane tert-butylamine complex, a reducing compound 10, to test its effectiveness in reducing oxidised functional groups present in the foxed areas.In the present work we will focus our attention on the XRF results obtained from ancient papers.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
