In-situ technical study of modern paintings - Part 2: Imaging and spectroscopic analysis of zinc white in paintings from 1889 to 1940 by Alessandro Milesi (1856-1945).
We present a multi-analytical in situ non-invasive study of a series of emblematic paintings by Alessandro Milesi (1856-1945) from the collection of the International Gallery of Modern Art Ca' Pesaro in Venice. Eight paintings dated from 1897 to 1910 were studied with imaging and spectroscopic techniques. White pigments were characterized by a combination of X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy which traced the presence of zinc-based pigments in Milesi's paintings, Raman Spectroscopy, Laser Induced Fluorescence (LIF) Spectroscopy and Time-resolved Luminescence Imaging. Time-resolved analysis of luminescence emissions revealed the nanosecond emission from organic compounds and the slower emission from the luminescent inorganic pigment Zinc Oxide that varied between 1.1 and 1.6 microseconds. In this work, data regarding the distribution of luminescent pigments was acquired with a time-gated imaging detector. Furthermore, differences in emission decay kinetics recorded from different paintings can be ascribed to different paint formulations or origins of the Zinc white in paint.
How Many Secret Details Could a Systematic Multi-Analytical Study Reveal About the Mysterious Fresco Trionfo della Morte?
The “Trionfo della morte” is a detached fresco painting dated at the half of the XV century. Its history is strictly connected with the history of Palermo and it is considered a symbol of the late Gothic period. Some small areas of the fresco were analyzed using a combination of non-invasive techniques and hand-held instrumentations (multispectral imaging analysis, X-ray fluorescence (XRF), and IR spectroscopy). The characterization of the nature of pigments used in its realization and restoration works was performed and some indications about its conservation state were obtained. More interestingly, some hidden details were revealed on the mysterious painting. They constitute additional evidence of the preciousness of the fresco.
Enantioselective Synthesis of Dihydropyrans. Catalysis of Hetero Diels−Alder Reactions by Bis(oxazoline) Copper(II) Complexes
C2-symmetric bis(oxazoline)−Cu(II) complexes 1 and 2 catalyze the inverse electron demand hetero Diels−Alder reaction of α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds (heterodiene) with electron-rich olefins (heterodienophile) in high diastereo- and enantioselectivity. α,β-Unsaturated acyl phosphonates and β,γ-unsaturated α-keto esters and amides are effective heterodienes, while enol ethers and sulfides function as heterodienophiles. A range of substitution patterns is possible on the heterodiene:  terminal alkyl, aryl, alkoxy, and thioether substituents are all tolerated. The enantioselective synthesis of dihydropyrans by this method has been shown to be straightforward:  cycloadditions may be conducted with as little as 0.2 mol % of the chiral catalyst and are readily run on multigram scale. The reactions exhibit a favorable temperature−enantioselectivity profile, with selectivities exceeding 90% even at room temperature. A simple reaction protocol that employs a solid air-stable catalyst, convenient reaction tem...