Fall 2018 - Chemical Analysis Class Projects

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  A Compositional Study of the UNI Museum Benin Bronzes Using Scanning Electron Microscopy

  Elizabeth Akers
  Poster

  In 1897, the British empire annexed the kingdom of Benin in present day Nigeria.1 Many cultural artifacts, including a large collection of bronze statues and plaques, were taken and distributed among major museums

  • Due to their increased demand, many sellers began creating fake bronzes to sell to tourists and collectors alike

  • Four Benin bronze artifacts were donated to the museum in 1968 and have been questioned in terms of authenticity based on qualitative analyses

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  Exploration of Potential Treatments of Bronze Disease Through SEM/EDX Analysis

  Nicole Bishop and Brian Pauley
  Poster

  The poster shows a potential treatment for the corrosion of bronze objects.

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  The Characterization of Leather WWII Artifacts Using GC/MS and Raman Spectroscopy

  Brice Houser
  Poster

  Many museums face the challenge of protecting artifacts from deterioration. This process is often hampered by the history of the artifact, which can introduce factors that start or speed up the process of deterioration. An example of this is the method used during WW II to preserve leather. Mink oil or other fatty substances are used to help preserve and soften leather. A major component of mink oil is palmitic acid.

  1 This fatty acid may have reacted with the brass in the same way that the oils from the hand react with coins to make that distinctive metallic smell, only in this case causing damage to the leather.

  2 Since mink oil and other oils are commonly used to preserve leather, its components are expected to be found via GC/MS.

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  Compounds of Coffee Over the Roasting Process

  Alex Jaspering
  Poster

  The poster explores the changes in the concectration of chemical compounds as coffee beans are roasted.

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  African Masks: Are They Authentic of Fake? A Fluorescence and Reflective UV-Vis Spectroscopic Approach

  Kaitlyn Parrott
  Poster

  This project was a search for a new way to determine the authenticity of their African Mask collection. The University of Northern Iowa Museum has allowed the non-destructive analysis of five of their African Masks and a collection of African wood samples. This study is investigating if fluorescence spectroscopy and reflective UV-Vis spectroscopy of the African masks Of the five masks two are authentic masks, two are fake, and one the authenticity is unknown.

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  SEM/EDX Analysis of Bronze Disease

  Brian Pauley and Nicole Bishop
  Poster

  Bronze disease is a type of self-progressing corrosion of bronze. This degradation is thought to be caused by humidity but proliferated through the formation of chlorine containing compounds that further react with the air. The origination of the bronze disease in this artifact is thought to have arisen from the tanning process used in the surrounding leather. It is highly probable that potassium chloride was used in the tanning process, providing the initial chlorides that cause bronze disease. The damage that this corrosion can cause can destroy priceless artifacts. An understanding of the bronze disease structure and chemical composition is crucial for the development of potential cures for bronze disease.

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  Raman Spectroscopy of Bronze Disease on WWII Artifacts

  Andrea M. Reutzel
  Poster

  Patina is a film that forms on bronze or similar metals over a long period of time due to an oxidation reaction. If cuprous chloride in copper alloys are present, it reacts with water to create hydrochloric acid. Hydrochloric acid in the presence of metals will cause corrosions of the bronze and over time it will completely eat away at the metal. This reaction, known as Bronze Disease, is different than patina. Patina can act as a coat and preserver for metals. The University of Northern Iowa’s Museum is experiencing Bronze Disease on artifacts in the WWII collection. The Bronze Disease is destroying the artifacts and causing them to fall apart. If these artifacts go untreated the Bronze Disease will cause complete destruction to the artifacts until they are unrecognizable.

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  Determination of caffeine in Peruvian coffee at different levels of roast as measured through Capillary Electrophoresis

  Jaspreet Kaur Rishi, Kashif Shaikh, and Joshua Sebree
  Poster

  For this project, the amount of caffeine per gram of Peruvian coffee at different levels of roast was determined in 14 samples using capillary electrophoresis.

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  FT-MIR-ATR of Organic Residues From Inside Peruvian Sacrificial Jars

  Warren Rouse and Dr. Joshua Sebree
  Poster

  This project used various solvents in an attempt to determine the identity of the contents of Peruvian jars to determine their purpose.

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  Raman Spectroscopy for Authentication of African Tribal Masks

  Huzaifa Islam Shah and Joshua Sebree
  Poster

  University of Northern Iowa museum’s collection includes some wooden African tribal masks and African wood samples . Authenticity of the masks was doubted, therefore 5 of the masks and 27 different African wood samples were analyzed using Raman spectroscopy to determine the authenticity of the masks. The data obtained suggested that none of the masks were made up of the wood samples from Africa examined in the project.

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  Quantification of TrigonellineFrom Coffee Beans and its Correlation with the pH

  Kashif A. Shaikh, Jaspreet K. Rishi, and Joshua Sebree
  Poster

  This project analyzed the amount of trigonelline preseent in coffee beans at various stages of the roasting process.

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  Determination of Lead Content in Sidecar Coffee

  Birk Shaikoski and Joshua Sebree
  Poster

  This project analyzed the amount of lead present in coffee beans from various parts of the world and decaffeinated beans.

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  Near-Infrared Spectroscopy of African Tribal Masks

  Jordan Smith, Huzaifa Shah, and Kaitlyn Parrott
  Poster

  The project attempts to determine the authenticity of African masks using near-infrared spectroscopy.