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Physico-chemical characterization of protein–pigment interactions in tempera paint reconstructions: casein/cinnabar and albumin/cinnabar

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Abstract

In this work, we characterized paint reconstructions using ovalbumin and casein as binders, and cinnabar (HgS) as a pigment, before and after artificial ageing. Egg and casein are common paint binders that were used historically in the technique of tempera painting. Despite extensive research on the identification of proteinaceous binders in paintings, there is a substantial lack of knowledge regarding the ageing pathway of their protein content, and their chemical interaction with inorganic pigments. Thermogravimetric analysis, infrared spectroscopy and size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) were used to reveal the physico-chemical processes involved in the ageing of proteins in paintings. Taken together, the three techniques highlighted that proteins are subject to both cross-linking and hydrolysis upon ageing, and to a lesser extent, to oxidation of the side chains. Mercury–protein interactions were also revealed using a cold vapour generation atomic fluorescence spectrometer mercury-specific detector coupled to SEC. The study clearly showed that HgS forms stable complexes with proteins and acts as a sensitizer in cross-linking, hydrolysis and oxidation.

A multi-techinque approach to the study of protein/cinnabar tempera paint recontructions: thermogravimetric analysis, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy and size exclusion chromatography

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Prof. Marianne Odlyha for her suggestions and helpful discussions. This work was supported by PRIN 2008 funding from the Italian Ministry of University and Research (Project No 2008XXAMZT).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento di Chimica e Chimica Industriale, Via Risorgimento 35, 56127, Pisa, Italy

    Celia Duce, Lisa Ghezzi, Ilaria Bonaduce, Maria Perla Colombini & Maria Rosaria Tine’

  2. National Research Council of Italy, C.N.R., Istituto di Chimica dei Composti Organo Metallici-ICCOM-UOS Pisa, Area di Ricerca, Via G. Moruzzi 1, 56124, Pisa, Italy

    Massimo Onor & Emilia Bramanti

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  1. Celia Duce
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  2. Lisa Ghezzi
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  4. Ilaria Bonaduce
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  5. Maria Perla Colombini
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  6. Maria Rosaria Tine’
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Correspondence to Emilia Bramanti.

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Duce, C., Ghezzi, L., Onor, M. et al. Physico-chemical characterization of protein–pigment interactions in tempera paint reconstructions: casein/cinnabar and albumin/cinnabar. Anal Bioanal Chem 402, 2183–2193 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-011-5684-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-011-5684-x

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