Dammar Resin Degradation Revisited

Abstract

Dammar, a natural triterpenoid resin, is widely used as a picture varnish in art technology. Several research workers have recently characterised its composition and oxidative degradation. Due to a lack of sensitivity, conventional thermal methods to characterise oxidation stability (like TGA and DSC) often require a high temperature regime. Chemiluminescence measurements turned out to be more sensitive (temperatures below 100 °C) and simultaneously allowed for better selectivity of the signal, which is directly coupled to the oxidation mechanism. The data collected here will enable an advanced kinetic modelling of Dammar degradation.