Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) is a technique devoted to the identification and characterization of paramagnetic species, i.e. chemical species with unpaired electrons. Very common paramagnetic species which can be detected through EPR in ancient and modern paper are the ions Fe(III), Mn(II), Cu(II) and radicals, where Fe(III), Cu(II) and radicals play a relevant role in paper degradation. Specifically, Fe(III) is almost ubiquitous in ancient paper. Here we propose an overview of the EPR signals in ancient, modern and artificially aged paper, and how they are related to interesting features of the paper, such as degradation, paper origin, and oxidation level. We show how the technique can be combined with other techniques to provide detailed indications to characterize ancient and artificially aged paper.

Electron paramagnetic resonance as a probe for metal ions and radicals in paper

249th National Meeting (2015)

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