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Analysis of ancient Greco–Roman cosmetic materials using laser desorption ionization and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

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Abstract

Microsamples of pink cosmetic powders from the Greco–Roman period were analyzed using two complementary analytical approaches for identification of the colouring agents (lake pigments originally manufactured from madder plants with an inert binder, usually a metallic salt) present in the samples. The first technique was a methanolic acidic extraction of the archaeological samples with an additional ethyl acetate extraction of the anthraquinone-type colouring agents which were identified using high performance liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionization with high resolution mass spectrometry (LC–ESI–HRMS), and the second was direct analysis of a microsample by laser desorption ionization–mass spectrometry (LDI–MS). The latter technique is well suited when the quantity of samples is very low. This soft ionization technique enables the detection of very small quantities of compounds using the combination of positive and negative-ion modes. It was also successfully applied for the direct analysis of some laboratory-made reference compounds. However, the presence of lead in one of these ancient samples induced a spectral suppression phenomenon. In this case and conditional on a sufficient quantity of available sample, the former method is better adapted for the characterization of these anthraquinone-type molecules. This study also confirmed that purpurin, munjistin, and pseudopurpurin are the principal colouring agents present in these ancient cosmetic powders constituted from madder plants.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to Dr K. Goethert-Polaschek (Rheinisches Landesmuseum Trier, Germany), Dr F. Naumann-Steckner (Römisch-Germanisches Museum of Cologne, Germany), and Dr V. Adrimi-Sismani (Museum of Volos, Greece) for providing samples from Wederath (Germany), Cologne (Germany) and Demetrias (Greece), respectively. The authors want also to thank Mr D. Good from L’Oréal and Dr A. Brunelle from ICSN for reviewing this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre de Recherche et de Restauration des Musées de France (C2RMF), CNRS UMR 171, Palais du Louvre, Porte des Lions, 14, quai François Mitterrand, 75001, Paris, France

    Elsa Van Elslande, Pascale Richardin & Philippe Walter

  2. Laboratoire de Spectrométrie de Masse, Institut de Chimie des Substances Naturelles, CNRS UPR 2301, Avenue de la Terrasse, 91198, Gif-sur-Yvette, France

    Vincent Guérineau & Olivier Laprévote

  3. L’Oréal Recherche, 1 avenue Eugène Schueller, 93601, Aulnay sous Bois Cedex, France

    Vincent Thirioux, Ghislaine Richard & Georges Hussler

Authors
  1. Elsa Van Elslande
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  2. Vincent Guérineau
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  3. Vincent Thirioux
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  4. Ghislaine Richard
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  5. Pascale Richardin
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  6. Olivier Laprévote
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  7. Georges Hussler
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  8. Philippe Walter
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Correspondence to Elsa Van Elslande.

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Van Elslande, E., Guérineau, V., Thirioux, V. et al. Analysis of ancient Greco–Roman cosmetic materials using laser desorption ionization and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. Anal Bioanal Chem 390, 1873–1879 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-008-1924-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-008-1924-0

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