TEST FOR COMPATIBILITY WITH ORGANIC HERITAGE MATERIALS – A PROPOSED PROCEDURE

The test is performed in closed vials at 100 oC for 5 days with the tested material and a reference paper in the vial. Volatiles off-gassed from the tested material may cause degradation of the reference paper and lead to a decrease in its degree of polymerization. This is determined using viscometry. The optimal vial type is proposed, leading to reproducible results with a standard deviation for three parallel experiments typically under 2%. The selected reference material, Whatman No. 1 filter paper, being made of purified cotton linters, is susceptible to volatiles promoting both hydrolytic and oxidative degradation, and its response to tested materials is thus likely to be relevant to a wide variety of heritage materials and objects of organic origin.