Glass Characterization Using Laser Ablation-Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry Methods

Abstract

The accurate determination of archaeological glass sample composition is challenging due to possible heterogeneity and post-production chemical alteration. Here, depth profiling using the time resolved signal generated by LA-ICP-MS (DP-LA-ICP-MS) is applied to two case studies. The first study concerns corroded Late Bronze Age glass beads. While many varieties of ancient glass beads are corrosion resistant, some recipes are particularly impacted by devitrification, and depth profiling allows for analysis of un-corroded material reflecting original glass composition. In the second case study on a seventeenth century composite glass vessel, depth profiling allowed for measurement of composite layers including a thin ruby gold glass layer and white opaque glass filigree embedded in colorless lead glass. The minimal destructiveness of this technique combined with other advantages of LA-ICP-MS—the large number of elements that can be measured and low detection limits—make this technique ideal for analysis of many kinds of compositionally complex glass objects.