大学化学 >> 2022, Vol. 37 >> Issue (12): 2111085.doi: 10.3866/PKU.DXHX202111085

化学实验 上一篇    下一篇

化学在考古学中的跨学科应用:使用手持式X射线荧光光谱仪鉴定唐代血经主要元素成分

蔡军1,2,*(), 李文3, 史梅4, 胡文兵1   

  1. 1 南京大学化学化工学院, 配位化学国家重点实验室, 南京 210023
    2 南京大学化学化工学院, 公共仪器中心, 南京 210023
    3 南京大学历史学院, 南京 210023
    4 南京大学博物馆, 南京 210023
  • 收稿日期:2021-11-29 录用日期:2022-03-11 发布日期:2022-03-28
  • 通讯作者: 蔡军 E-mail:caijun@nju.edu.cn
  • 作者简介:蔡军, Email: caijun@nju.edu.cn

Interdisciplinary Application of Chemistry in Archeology: Dominant Element Identification via pXRF in Buddhist Blood Scriptures from the Tang Dynasty

Jun Cai1,2,*(), Wen Li3, Mei Shi4, Wenbing Hu1   

  1. 1 State Key Laboratory of Coordinate Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
    2 Public Instrument Center, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
    3 School of History, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
    4 University Museum, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
  • Received:2021-11-29 Accepted:2022-03-11 Published:2022-03-28
  • Contact: Jun Cai E-mail:caijun@nju.edu.cn

摘要:

采用手持式X射线荧光光谱仪(pXRF)现场无损对照检测了南京大学博物馆收藏的国家一级文物敦煌莫高窟出土唐人写本《大方便佛报恩经残卷》朱书和血书字迹主要重金属元素成分。通过检测字迹中汞元素和铁元素相对含量多少,结合颜色深浅,鉴定血书中的浅色字迹含有较为丰富的铁元素,应为血液成分所带来。我们首先使用pXRF测试了古代常用红色颜料主要成分含汞元素的朱砂粉、含铁元素的三氧化二铁、两者50 : 50和99 : 1混合物浸迹以及动物干血迹中汞元素和铁元素的含量,对照X射线能谱仪(EDX)结果证明pXRF对朱砂中汞元素和铁元素都有很好的检测响应,即使血迹中微量的铁元素也能很清晰地检测出来。我们随后使用pXRF对馆藏的朱书和血书中的字迹对照颜色进行元素相对含量分析,结果显示朱书的字迹普遍颜色较深,主要成分为朱砂;血书中大部分颜色较浅的字迹主要成分为血和朱砂的混合物,而血书中少部分颜色较深的字迹则是由朱砂为主要成分的颜料修补所致。本文为现场无损鉴定成书时间较长的文物血经提供了一种较为可靠的原位无损检测化学方法,可以作为大学化学知识跨学科应用的一个课堂讲解例子。

关键词: 血经, 化学元素鉴定, 便携式X射线荧光光谱仪(pXRF)

Abstract:

In this study, we introduce an in situ, non-destructive method of chemical element identification utilizing a portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometer (pXRF) to identify the dominant elements of heavy metals in two volumes of Buddhist scriptures from Tang Dynasty collected by Nanjing University Museum. By detecting the ratio of mercury to iron in the scripture marks, and studying the color, we authenticated that the light words on one volume referred to the "blood scripture" were scripted in a mixture of blood and cinnabar. To validate the selection of pXRF rather than the energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) as the chosen detection method, we first analyzed the mercury and iron contents of ancient red pigment cinnabar powder (containing mercury), iron trioxide powder (containing iron), 50 : 50 and 99 : 1 mixtures of the two, and dried animal blood in the laboratory. The results confirmed that pXRF performed well in differentiating the relative contents of mercury and iron, even the trace levels of iron present in the blood sample. Following this check, we used pXRF to detect the dominant elements in the scripture marks of both volumes of Buddhist scriptures at the University Museum. The results indicated that the dark words on one volume referred to the "cinnabar scripture" were written in cinnabar; the light words on the most marks of the blood scripture were written in a mixture of blood and cinnabar, while the dark words on the few marks of the blood scripture were repaired by cinnabar. This study serves as a good example of the interdisciplinary application of college chemistry, providing a reliable, in situ, non-destructive method for element identification in blood scriptures that can be considered cultural relics.

Key words: Blood Buddhist scripture, Chemical element identification, Portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (pXRF)