Room Temperature Evaporation Behavior of Homogeneous Azeotropes Used in Art Conservation Cleaning Treatments
Cleaning painted surfaces of their grime, aged varnishes, and discolored overpaint is one of the most common interventive treatments for art conservators. Carefully concocted solvent mixtures navigate the solubility differences between the material removed and the original paint underneath. However,...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-11-01
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| Series: | Applied Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/13/21/11962 |
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| author | Adrian Villalta-Cerdas Gregory D. Smith Megan Carrison DeSmit John V. Goodpaster |
| author_facet | Adrian Villalta-Cerdas Gregory D. Smith Megan Carrison DeSmit John V. Goodpaster |
| author_sort | Adrian Villalta-Cerdas |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Cleaning painted surfaces of their grime, aged varnishes, and discolored overpaint is one of the most common interventive treatments for art conservators. Carefully concocted solvent mixtures navigate the solubility differences between the material removed and the original paint underneath. However, these solutions may be altered by differential evaporation rates of the component solvents (zeotropic behavior), potentially leading to ineffectively weak cleaning or conversely overly strong residual liquid capable of damaging the underlying paint. Azeotropic solvent blends, which maintain a constant composition during evaporation, offer a promising solution. These blends consist of two or more solvents combined at precise concentrations to function as a single solvent. Additionally, pressure-maximum azeotropes feature higher vapor pressure compared to other mixtures, further minimizing contact time and sorption of the solvents into artworks. This study examines azeotropes of isopropanol with n-hexane and 2-butanone in cyclohexane, which have been used previously in art conservation. The evaporation behavior at room temperature of these boiling point azeotropes was assessed using vapor pressure measurements, refractive index determinations, gravimetric analysis, and gas chromatography. Results showed changes in composition during evaporation and found that the actual room temperature azeotropic composition can vary between 1 and 10% v/v in concentration with those commonly reported at their boiling points. Art conservators should be cautious when using azeotropic blends reported at boiling points significantly higher than room temperature. To ensure the safety and efficacy of these mixtures, it is recommended to determine individual azeotropic cleaning blends experimentally before their use. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T11:33:48Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a426afad46dd452f921473125f60f076 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-3417 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T11:33:48Z |
| publishDate | 2023-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Applied Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-a426afad46dd452f921473125f60f0762023-11-10T14:59:19ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172023-11-0113211196210.3390/app132111962Room Temperature Evaporation Behavior of Homogeneous Azeotropes Used in Art Conservation Cleaning TreatmentsAdrian Villalta-Cerdas0Gregory D. Smith1Megan Carrison DeSmit2John V. Goodpaster3Department of Chemistry, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX 77341, USAConservation Science, Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields, Indianapolis, IN 46208, USADepartment of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USADepartment of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USACleaning painted surfaces of their grime, aged varnishes, and discolored overpaint is one of the most common interventive treatments for art conservators. Carefully concocted solvent mixtures navigate the solubility differences between the material removed and the original paint underneath. However, these solutions may be altered by differential evaporation rates of the component solvents (zeotropic behavior), potentially leading to ineffectively weak cleaning or conversely overly strong residual liquid capable of damaging the underlying paint. Azeotropic solvent blends, which maintain a constant composition during evaporation, offer a promising solution. These blends consist of two or more solvents combined at precise concentrations to function as a single solvent. Additionally, pressure-maximum azeotropes feature higher vapor pressure compared to other mixtures, further minimizing contact time and sorption of the solvents into artworks. This study examines azeotropes of isopropanol with n-hexane and 2-butanone in cyclohexane, which have been used previously in art conservation. The evaporation behavior at room temperature of these boiling point azeotropes was assessed using vapor pressure measurements, refractive index determinations, gravimetric analysis, and gas chromatography. Results showed changes in composition during evaporation and found that the actual room temperature azeotropic composition can vary between 1 and 10% v/v in concentration with those commonly reported at their boiling points. Art conservators should be cautious when using azeotropic blends reported at boiling points significantly higher than room temperature. To ensure the safety and efficacy of these mixtures, it is recommended to determine individual azeotropic cleaning blends experimentally before their use.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/13/21/11962azeotropesart conservationcleaningsolvent mixturesevaporation |
| spellingShingle | Adrian Villalta-Cerdas Gregory D. Smith Megan Carrison DeSmit John V. Goodpaster Room Temperature Evaporation Behavior of Homogeneous Azeotropes Used in Art Conservation Cleaning Treatments Applied Sciences azeotropes art conservation cleaning solvent mixtures evaporation |
| title | Room Temperature Evaporation Behavior of Homogeneous Azeotropes Used in Art Conservation Cleaning Treatments |
| title_full | Room Temperature Evaporation Behavior of Homogeneous Azeotropes Used in Art Conservation Cleaning Treatments |
| title_fullStr | Room Temperature Evaporation Behavior of Homogeneous Azeotropes Used in Art Conservation Cleaning Treatments |
| title_full_unstemmed | Room Temperature Evaporation Behavior of Homogeneous Azeotropes Used in Art Conservation Cleaning Treatments |
| title_short | Room Temperature Evaporation Behavior of Homogeneous Azeotropes Used in Art Conservation Cleaning Treatments |
| title_sort | room temperature evaporation behavior of homogeneous azeotropes used in art conservation cleaning treatments |
| topic | azeotropes art conservation cleaning solvent mixtures evaporation |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/13/21/11962 |
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