PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL METHODS FOR HERITAGE INVESTIGATION WITH LABORATORY - 1

The course Physical and Chemical Methods for Heritage Investigation with laboratory is one of the key educational activities of the Master's degree program in Conservation Science and Technology for Cultural Heritage. The course is divided into two modules, both aim to provide to the students an understanding of chemical and physical methods for investigating cultural heritage materials. Specifically, Module 1 focuses on the comprehension and use of electrochemical methods for the study and prevention of corrosive phenomena, as well as their application as analytical tools for cultural heritage materials, even when used within the context of in-situ analysis sensors.

1. knowledge and understanding specific for mod. 1
i) to know the relationship between the redox behaviour of materials used during the production of cultural artefacts and electrochemical methods for their analysis.
ii) to know the electrochemical principles behind corrosive processes.
iii) to understand the use of chromatographic and mass spectrometric instrumental methods during analysis and materials used in producing cultural materials.
2. Capacity to apply knowledge and comprehension specific for mod. 1
i) to understand the specificity and role of analytical chemistry methods (electrochemical, chromatographic and mass spectrometric) for diagnosis and conservation of cultural heritage.
ii) to know how to apply the concepts learnt to understand which method is most useful in the prevention and restoration of a metallic object that has undergone corrosive degradation.
3. Judgement skills specific for mod. 1
i) to know how to comparatively evaluate the effectiveness of different investigative strategies and combine the information obtained from electrochemical, chromatographic and mass spectrometric instrumentation.
ii) to develop a critical capacity to evaluate the performance of analytical methods when studying and preventing the degradation of cultural heritage.
4. Communication skills specific for mod. 1
i) to learn the correct use of the terminology and of the language used in the fields of electrochemistry and corrosion.
ii) to improve the communication skills by presenting a full report on the laboratory practical experiences.
5. Learning skills specific for mod. 1
i) to acquire the basic elements of the topics taught by the teacher in class and through the laboratory experiences, and completing the learning process through the consultation of bibliographic and online sources.

The student must be familiar with the basic concepts instrumental analytical chemistry.

The arguments treated during mod. 2 concern:
- Principles of electrochemistry, Potentials and electrochemical cells, Galvanic and electrolytic processes
- Corrosion and passivation of metals and alloys. Analytical techniques for the analysis of corrosive processes and for the effectiveness of protecting layers for historical-artistic artifacts. Protective films, corrosion inhibitors.
- Electrochemical analytical methods: potentiometry and voltammetry.
- Electrochemical analysis of pigments, metals and alloys
- Electrochemical sensors for cultural heritage
Lab experiences:
- Electrochemical analysis of organic and inorganic pigments
- Galvanic and electrolytic cleaning of corroded coins
- Use of electrochemical techniques to evaluate the efficiency of corrosion inhibitors

Lecture notes.
Skoog, West, Holler, Crouch: Fundamentals of Analytical Chemistry
Harris: Quantitative Chemical Analysis
Scientific paper indicated in the slides

The course is unique, semester-based, and structured into two modules (MOD.1 and MOD.2). Therefore, the achievement of the overall educational objectives is determined by the contribution of each module. The examination is singular, with assessment methods specific to each module to evaluate the learning outcomes.
Based on the volume and complexity of the topics covered in this course, the student is allowed, if requested, to take the examination for only one module at a time. The overall evaluation will be determined by the algebraic average of the individual grades obtained in both modules.
The exam of module 1 includes the evaluation of laboratory reports (weight 20%) and an oral discussion on two different topics covered in class (weight 80%)

oral

Specifically, the exam for Module 1 involves a discussion of the application of electroanalytical techniques to the study of corrosive phenomena and to the analysis of artistic artifacts, including the use of chemical sensors. The interview will start with the discussion of a case study chosen by the student, followed by in-depth questions posed by the teacher. Afterward, the discussion will move to a different topic choesen by the professor. A score from 0 to 15 will be assigned to the answers to each topic.
As to the lab evaluation, a score from 0 to 10 will be assigned to each one of the 3 reports delivered. The mark assigned will consider the answer to the questions posed by the professor, as well as the graphic representation and elaboration of experimental dat

The teaching activities are organized in lectures and laboratory exercises. The theoretical principles underlying modern instrumental analytical chemistry techniques are integrated with the laboratory experineces, where the techniques discussed in thory are applied.
The teaching material used will be available on the "Moodle" platform of the University from where it can be downloaded.

Teaching language
English

Sustainability
Attention is paid to the benefits in terms of sustainability that the use of electrochemical methods allow by preventing corrosion and preserving highly valuable artefacts using techniques with a low environmental impact. This reduces the massive use of chemicals.
It is also underlined how the use of advanced analytical methods allows the analysis to be carried out while significantly reducing the quantities of both sample and reagents, with positive reflections on sustainability especially with regards to issues related to the production and disposal of chemicals for analytical use.