Crystalline Deposits in New Display Cases at the Rijksmuseum: Characterisation and Origin

Jolanda M. van Iperen · Henk van Keulen · Katrien Keune · Kanaan Abdulah · Robert van Langh

17 citations0/0 files storedStudies in Conservation

No readable copy stored yet — this record is metadata only.

No open-access location is known for this record yet.

Literature note Cite in a project Citation map

Cultural Heritage Materials Analysis Conservation Techniques and Studies Building materials and conservation

Abstract

An unusual phenomenon occurred in new display cases at the Rijksmuseum four months after their installation in April 2013. White deposits were visible on glass windows, silicone door gaskets, black structural adhesive seals, and on works of art. The works of art most affected by these deposits were bronze sculptures, wooden and waxed objects, tempera, and oil paintings. In this study the deposits were chemically characterised using (pyrolysis-)gas chromatography-mass spectrometry ((Py-)GC-MS), µ-Raman spectroscopy (µ-Raman), ion chromatography (IC), and scanning electron microscopy combined with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX). Five chemically different crystalline deposits were found. They were identified as organic salts of the base 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidinol (TMP-ol), a secondary amine, and five different carboxylic acids. It was found that TMP-ol, which is part of the UV-light stabiliser Tinuvin-770, emitted from the structural adhesive Terostat-9220. Terostat-9220 was used in large quantities in the display cases to adhere glass windows to metal parts. The carboxylic acids derived from both construction materials used to build the cases and from conservation materials present on the exhibited works of art. The carboxylic acids involved were 2,4-dichlorobenzoic acid, formic acid, methacrylic acid, palmitic acid, and an unknown carboxylic acid, respectively emitted from peroxide-cured silicone gaskets, panels of medium-density fibreboard (MDF), UV-adhesive, beeswax containing products, and from an unknown acidic conservation product or binding medium. The identification of the crystalline deposits was supported by their syntheses in the laboratory. Since 2013, similar deposits have been observed in a number of museum collections worldwide. A treatment for preventing further growth of the deposits was developed and applied in the Rijksmuseum showcases.

Paper brief

Loading…

Cite this work

Citation unavailable for this work.

BibTeX RIS CSL-JSON

No public copy is stored for this record, so only the metadata is cited.

Citations in this library

Citation map →

Stored only when both papers are in the corpus — 17 citations exist upstream.

References

2000Analysis with micro-Raman spectroscopy of natural organic binding media and varnishes used in art 2003The Characterization of Metal Soaps 2009Emissions from Construction and Decoration Materials for Museum Showcases 2016Assessment of indoor air quality and the risk of damage to cultural heritage objects using MEMORI®dosimetry 2016Colour measurement of acid-detector strips for the quantification of volatile organic acids in storage conditions 2015Reduction of acidic pollutant gases inside showcases by the use of activated carbon adsorbers 2013Climate for Collections - Standards and Uncertainties. Postprints of the Munich Climate Conference 7 to 9 November 2012

Explore the map →

Papers that cite the same references — the relational fallback while embeddings are still backfilling.

Imported from OpenAlex (CC0) — nothing here is generated.