Honors Program Theses

Award/Availability

Open Access Honors Program Thesis

First Advisor

Joshua Sebree, Honors Thesis Advisor

Keywords

Indian pottery--Analysis; Maple syrup--Analysis;

Abstract

The research conducted regards whether or not Native Americans understood how to create maple syrup before the influence of Europeans. The analytical technique that was used is gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). This technique assisted in understanding what organic residues resided within the pottery and what those organic residues tell us about Native American history. An analysis of organic residues was performed on the following types of pottery: proof of concept pottery, weathered pottery (an analog of the proof of concept), and Native American pottery. The residues used in analysis were obtained through the usage of different solvent systems - Acetone: Dichloromethane and Methanol: Dichloromethane. The solvent systems liberated the compounds that remained inside the walls of the pottery. The thesis will also go in-depth regarding how accurate the usage of organic residues is when conducting research regarding archeology and chemistry. Understanding the reliability of these residues will either support or conflict with their usage in research.

Year of Submission

2022

Department

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

University Honors Designation

A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the designation University Honors

Date Original

12-2022

Object Description

1 PDF file (27 pages)

Language

en

File Format

application/pdf

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