Efficient identification of raw and ripe tung oil using headspace GC-MS

To differentiate between the raw type and ripe type of tung oil, it is important to distinguish between the types of tung oil before its application. In the present work, an efficient headspace gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-GC-MS) method was developed for identifying eight samples T1-T8, including the raw tung oil and ripe tung oil. The HS-GC-MS experiments results showed that octanoic acid existed only in ripe tung oil of T2, T4, T6, T8, not in raw tung oil of T1, T3, T5, T7. Combined with structural characterization by tandem mass spectrometry, octanoic acid was screened as an effective marker for distinguishing between raw tung oil and ripe tung oil. Then, the HS-GC-MS method was applied into the putty samples of X1 (raw tung oil with lime) and X2 (ripe tung oil with lime) and successfully identified the samples X1 mixed with raw tung oil and X2 mixed with ripe tung oil. The further validations results suggested that the detection limit of our HS-GC-MS method could reach 1.05 mg/L for octanoic acid, whereas the detection limit of derivative gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (DR-GC-MS) method was 2.74 mg/L for methyl octanoate. The investigation results can also provide the useful information and technical support for the selection of restoration materials and technology in ancient buildings.