Structure of Ancient Glass by 29 Si Magic Angle Spinning NMR Spectroscopy.
Henry BradfordAmy RyderJulian HendersonJeremy J TitmanPublished in: Chemistry (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany) (2018)
29 Si magic angle spinning (MAS) NMR spectroscopy has been applied for the first time to the structural analysis of ancient glass samples obtained from archaeological excavations. The results show that it is possible to establish the distribution of Si environments in ancient glass by 29 Si MAS NMR, so long as the concentrations of magnetic impurities, such as Mn and Fe oxides, are low. In general, good agreement has been obtained with compositions determined by means of electron probe microanalysis. In addition, the 29 Si MAS NMR data reveal structural differences between glasses manufactured at separate ancient sites.