Armida Sodo

Raman, SEM-EDS and XRPD investigations on pre-Columbian Central America "estucado" pottery.

Seventeen different colored fragments from six selected pre-Columbian estucado ceramics from El Salvador have been investigated by Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope coupled to an energy dispersive spectrometer (SEM/EDS) and X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD). The peculiarity of this kind of ceramics consist of the unusual presence of a white engobe, traditionally termed stucco, between the ceramic body and the decoration elements, hence the name estucado ceramics. The aim of this work was to study the unusual manufacturing technique and to identify the chemical composition of the engobe and of the pigment palette. The results showed that the stucco layer is made of clay (kaolinite) with traces of titanium oxide (anatase). Remarkably, this is the same composition of the white pigments used for the decoration layer, thus excluding an early use of natural titanium oxide as a white pigment in the estucado productions as suggested in previous investigations. Moreover, the presence of kaolinite and anatase both in the stucco and in the decoration layer suggests a cold-working or low temperature technique. The red, yellow and green decorations were realized by the use of natural ochre, while in all the blue and gray decorations Maya blue pigment was identified. Finally, an amorphous carbon pigment of vegetal origin and manganese oxide were used to obtain black pigments.

OH Stretching Dynamics in Hydroxide Aqueous Solutions

The concept of ions being either water structure makers or water breakers seems to be inconsistent with the existence of a critical number of water molecules per ion dictating the properties of an aqueous solution, independent of the ion identity. To investigate this issue, Raman spectra of hydroxide aqueous solutions in the region of the OH stretching mode have been obtained under ambient conditions and at concentrations ranging from extreme dilution to the solubility limit. Spectra have been analyzed with a relatively model-free approach, in terms of a superposition of contributions due to the vibrations of the OH- ions, with two contributions due to the solvent. One of these latter contributions falls at wavenumbers very close to that of the OH- stretching band, sharing with it its concentration dependence of the full width at half maximum (FWHM). The other contribution due to the solvent is very broad, with increasing FWHM with increasing ion concentration. In the light of these observations, an interpretation of the Raman spectra, based on the possibility of distinguishing the self and distinct contributions, is proposed. The present analysis is supported by structural data on the same solutions and puts into evidence relevant structural and dynamical changes occurring when the number of water molecules available per solute is below ∼20, irrespective of the ion identity.

Crystal-chemistry and vibrational spectroscopy of ferrinatrite, Na 3 [Fe(SO 4 ) 3 ]·3H 2 O, and its high-temperature decomposition

The crystal structure of ferrinatrite, Na3[Fe(SO4)3]·3H2O, was refined based on a new single-crystal X-ray diffraction experiment on a sample from the type locality Sierra Gorda, Chile. The data allowed H to be successfully located and the H-bonding system to be defined. Infrared and Raman spectra are presented and discussed for this compound on the basis of the crystal structure. The Oacceptor···H–Odonor bond distances determined from the structure refinement agree well with the geometric correlation obtained from spectroscopic data. The thermal stability and dehydration process of ferrinatrite was investigated by in situ high temperature (HT) synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction, Raman and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopies.