Odour analysis
November 18th, 2009 by rbanks
Judging a Book by Its Odor
“An old book’s familiar musty smell is due to hundreds of different volatile organic compounds gassing out from the paper and other materials, such as the binding. The particular blend of compounds results from specific degradation pathways. Conventional analysis techniques require small samples of the work for testing, further damaging the book. But analyzing the gases coming off of the old books is noninvasive. The researchers identified 15 organic compounds that made good markers to track the condition of books. They note that their system could be used to evaluate the type of document, its present condition and its likely future, thus helping preservationists map a strategy to save historical works.”
Scientific American Podcast
