Smell of decay can help save relics
Chemist Lorraine Gibson is working on technology to analyse the condition of old books and treasures by the gases they emit Walk into a library or museum and you cannot fail to note a distinctive musty smell. This is made up of a cocktail of compounds given off by ancient tomes and exhibits. For some the experience is pleasant; for others, such smells are fusty. But for chemist Dr Lorraine Gibson, of Strathclyde University, these odours are the bread and butter of her research. Gibson believes smells can be used to expose the condition of a book or an artefact – without touching it – before it has decayed dangerously, so repairs and restoration can be applied early to avoid serious damage later on. The trick, she says, is to develop a device than could mimic our sense of smell, or at least part of it. This is the focus of her work at Strathclyde University’s department of chemistry. So how can smell help the heritage business? The smell produced by an old book or museum exhibit is comprised of hundreds of volatile compounds. Most of these will be of no interest but a few will be of great importance. We are trying to pinpoint the important ones so we can discard the rest. Consider paper. It is comprised of cellulose, lignin and many other compounds. As paper ages, it changes – anyone who works with old books knows it becomes brittle and fragile. Volatile
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Smell of decay can help save relics
Chemist Lorraine Gibson is working on technology to analyse the condition of old books and treasures by the gases they emit Walk into a library or museum and you cannot fail to note a distinctive musty smell. This is made up of a cocktail of compounds given off by ancient tomes and exhibits. For some the experience is pleasant; for others, such smells are fusty. But for chemist Dr Lorraine Gibson, of Strathclyde University, these odours are the bread and butter of her research. Gibson believes smells can be used to expose the condition of a book or an artefact – without touching it – before it has decayed dangerously, so repairs and restoration can be applied early to avoid serious damage later on. The trick, she says, is to develop a device than could mimic our sense of smell, or at least part of it. This is the focus of her work at Strathclyde University’s department of chemistry. So how can smell help the heritage business? The smell produced by an old book or museum exhibit is comprised of hundreds of volatile compounds. Most of these will be of no interest but a few will be of great importance. We are trying to pinpoint the important ones so we can discard the rest. Consider paper. It is comprised of cellulose, lignin and many other compounds. As paper ages, it changes – anyone who works with old books knows it becomes brittle and fragile. Volatile
Posted by
on March 26, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0.
You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.