Chemical analysis techniques

A range of analytical techniques have been and are used in order to investigate the compositions of ancient inorganic and organic materials. A range of techniques is described and the kinds of information about ancient materials which results outlined. Some techniques, like electron probe microanalysis, atomic absorption spectrometry, neutron activation analysis and scanning electron microscopy have been used routinely for at least 30 years. Others such as inductively-coupled plasma emission spectrometry and mass spectrometry have been used more recently and examples of techniques for which their potential is just starting to be realised are the application of synchrotron-induced radiation and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry. The advantages and disadvantages of each techniques is described, including their sensitivities and how destructive they are. The role of the techniques described is outlined, including (where relevant) chemical characterization of materials, as a means of assessing the use of particular raw materials, the study of corrosion, as a means of reconstructing technologies and as a means of provenancing raw materials. © 2008