DERIVATIVE INFRARED-SPECTROSCOPY AND ELECTRON-SPECTROSCOPY FOR CHEMICAL-ANALYSIS OF ANCIENT PAPER DOCUMENTS

Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Electron Spectroscopy for Chemical Analysis (ESCA) have been applied to some discoloured, naturally aged papers. The numerical evaluation of the 2nd derivative spectrum has allowed a better resolution of the bands corresponding to oxidized functions. the combination of FTIR and ESCA, microdesctructive techniques, made possible to obtain more information about the degradation of ancient paper samples.