Voltammetric analysis of iron oxide pigments

Eighteen earthy and four pure synthetic pigments containing alpha-Fe2O3 (hematite), alpha-FeOOH (goethite) and poorly crystalline Fe and Mn oxide species were analyzed by voltammetry of microparticles. Three natural samples were subjected to an interlaboratory test to evaluate the reproducibility of the voltammetric peak potentials and peak shapes. The results confirmed that linear-sweep voltammetry is able to distinguish between poorly crystalline, ferrihydrite-like oxides and well-crystalline hematite and goethite and to detect XRD-amorphous Mn(III,IV) oxides via the peak occurrence. Voltammetry is further able to distinguish between pigments containing well-crystalline goethite (according to its structural features) and hematite (according to its particle size). The microsamples of primers from two baroque paintings were also analyzed by XRD and voltammetry and shown to be analogous to common clayey ochres.