Computational chemistry meets cultural heritage: challenges and perspectives

Chemistry is central to addressing topics of interest in the cultural heritage field, offering particular insight into the nature and composition of the original materials, the degradation processes that have occurred over the years, and the attendant physical and chemical changes. On the one hand, the chemical characterization of the constituting materials allows researchers to unravel the rich information enclosed in a work of art, providing insight into the manufacturing techniques and revealing aspects of artistic, chronological, historical, and sociocultural significance. On the other hand, despite the recognized contribution of computational chemistry in many branches of materials science, this tool has only recently been applied to cultural heritage, largely because of the inherent complexity of art materials. In this Account, we present a brief overview of the available computational methods, classified on the basis of accuracy level and dimension of the system to be simulated. Among the discussed methodologies, density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT represent a good compromise between accuracy and computational cost, allowing researchers to model the structural, electronic, and spectroscopic properties of complex extended systems in condensed phase. We then discuss the results of recent research devoted to the computer simulation of prototypical systems in cultural heritage, namely, indigo and Maya Blue, weld and weld lake, and the pigment minium (red lead). These studies provide insight into the basic interactions underlying the materials properties and, in some cases, permit the assignment of the material composition. We discuss properties of interest in the cultural heritage field, ranging from structural geometries and acid-base properties to IR-Raman vibrational spectra and UV-vis absorption-emission spectra (including excited-state deactivation pathways). We particularly highlight how computational chemistry applications in cultural heritage can complement experimental investigations by establishing or rationalizing structure-property relations of the fundamental artwork components. These insights allow researchers to understand the interdependence of such components and eventually the composition of the artwork materials. As a perspective, we aim to extend the simulations to systems of increasing complexity that are similar to the realistic materials encountered in works of art. A challenge is the computational investigation of materials degradation and their associated reactive pathways; here the possible initial components, intermediates, final materials, and various deterioration mechanisms must all be simulated.