Evaluation of the Amino Acid Composition, Structure and Properties of Archaeological Leather

Specimens of new and archaeological leather before and after restoration were investigated. It was determined that both the ageing of leather and its further restoration affect the amount of polar amino acids in the leather. TG, DTG and DTA studies of the new and archeological leather before and after restoration allowed a conclusion to be drawn that the prevailing process in the thermal destruction of the new leather is the breakage of cross-linking formed in tanning. In its turn, the prevailing process in the thermal destruction of the restored leather is oxidation of the products of reaction between collagen and organic substances introduced during the restoration. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. and peer-review under responsibility of the IA-CS (Italian Association of Conservation Scientists) and University of Antwerp