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Preliminary Results in Dating Human Skeletal Remains by Raman Spectroscopy
Author(s) -
Bertoluzza A.,
Brasili P.,
Castrì L.,
Facchini F.,
Fagnano C.,
Tinti A.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
journal of raman spectroscopy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.748
H-Index - 110
eISSN - 1097-4555
pISSN - 0377-0486
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-4555(199702)28:2/3<185::aid-jrs69>3.0.co;2-6
Subject(s) - raman spectroscopy , enamel paint , organic component , mineralogy , chemistry , molar , apatite , analytical chemistry (journal) , materials science , geology , paleontology , optics , environmental chemistry , composite material , physics
The Fourier transform Raman vibrational spectra of five ancient molar teeth (burial periods ranging from 150 to about 6000 years ago) were analysed in comparison with a modern deciduous canine of an infant. The observed Raman bands were assigned to inorganic (carbonato‐apatite) and organic (proteinaceous) components. The spectroscopic measurements show that only in the case of enamel (external surface) do the bands due to the organic component decrease in intensity in relation to the duration of burial, while the intensities of the bands due to the inorganic component remain constant in all the samples, ancient and modern. The I 2941 / I 960 intensity ratio of the stretching mode ν s CH 2 of the organic component and ν 1 (PO 4 ) 3‐ of the inorganic component was chosen as a spectroscopic parameter to be correlated with the burial period of the teeth. A gradual decrease in the curve of I 2941 / I 960 vs . tooth age was observed in the case of enamel but not for the dentine; this feature is related to the peculiar structure of the enamel. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.