Triterpenoid resins ageing

G.A. van der Doelen, K.J. van den Berg, J.J. Boon, N. Shibayama, E.R. de la Rie, W.J.L. Genuit, Analysis of fresh triterpenoid resins and aged triterpenoid varnishes by high performance liquid chromatography atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation (tandem) mass spectrometry, Journal of Chromatography A, 809, 21 37 (1998). 

Studying the Ageing of Natural Triterpenoid Resin Varnishes... 

Various authors have studied the ageing of triterpenoid resins to understand and possibly slow their deterioration [3, 4, 12, 13, 17 36]. The main degradation pathway is autoxida-tion, an oxidative radical chain reaction [37, 38] after formation of radicals, oxygen from the air is inserted, leading to peroxides. The peroxides can be homolytically cleaved, resulting in new radicals that continue the chain reaction. The cleavage of peroxide bonds can be induced thermally or photochemically. 

P. Dietemann, C. Higgitt, M. Kalin, M.J. Edelmann, R. Knochenmuss, and R. Zenobi, Aging and Yellowing of Triterpenoid Resin Varnishes Influence of Aging Conditions and Resin Composition, J. Cult. Heritage, 10, 30 40 (2009). 

P. Dietemann, S. Zumbuhl, R. Knochenmuss, R. Zenobi, Aging of triterpenoid resin varnishes on paintings studied by graphite assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry, Adv. Mass Spectrom., 15, 909 910 (2001). 

The first online TLC-MS attempt in the field of triterpenoids was done only in 2005 in the study of the photo-oxidation of natural di- and triterpenoid resins used as paint varnishes [10], The resinous samples were applied onto a cellulose-coated TLC plate, which afterward was subjected to direct MALDI-TOF-MS analysis without any development. The plates were only sprayed with a saturated ethanol solution of 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid as matrix to assist the ionization of compounds. Triterpenoids were observed as protonated molecules or as sodium clusters. Dammaradienone, dammaradienol, nor-a-amyrone, and dammarenolic, oleanonic, and ursonic acid were detected in dammar resin moronic acid, masticadienonic acid, and 3-0-acetyl-3-epi(iso)masticadienonic acid were found in mastic resin and diterpenoid abietane and pimarane acids were present in colophony. The induced aging process produced oxidized triterpenoids, which were observed in the MS spectra... 

Mono- and sesquiterpenoids are of limited use for the identification and classification of aged resins. Due to their volatility, they are rarely found in ancient samples except when they have been conserved in very particular conditions [88,98], On the other hand, the di-and triterpenoids enable us to identify resins thereby identifying their botanical origin [2,99]. Figures 1.1 and 1.2 show the main diterpenoid and triterpenoid structures. 

Dammar resin was introduced into Europe in the nineteenth century, mainly as a paint varnish It is still used today since it has good optical properties and low acidity. It is derived from various species (the genus Hopea and Shorea of the Dipterocarpaceae family). It is characterised by tetracyclic triterpenoids of the dammarane series and contains minor amounts of pentacyclic triterpenoids of the series of olanane, ursane and hopane. It also contains a polymeric fraction named polycadinene or [S-resene. Dammar resin triterpenoids undergo oxidation with ageing, as described for the components of mastic resin. 

The resin composition was indeed found to influence the ageing processes in mastic, the polymer fraction was shown to reduce the oxidation of triterpenoids (Figure 5.8). This was found for both natural ageing [33, 36] and artificial ageing. Because the polymer, a polymyrcene, contains many double bonds that can easily be oxidised [42], it might act as a radical stabiliser. The mastic samples shown in Figure 5.8 were obtained from three aliquots of the same mastic solution, the polymer part of the first aliquot was removed and added to the third. 

D. Scalarone, M.C. Duursma, J.J. Boon, and O. Chiantore, MALDI TOF Mass Spectrometry on Cellulosic surfaces of Fresh and Photo aged Di and Triterpenoid Varnish Resins, J. Mass Spectrom., 40, 1527 1535 (2005). 

Scalarone D, Duursma MC, Boon JJ, Chiantore O (2005) MALDI-TOE mass spectrometry on ceUulosic surfaces of fresh and photo-aged di- and triterpenoid varnish resins. J Mass Spectrom 40 1527-1535. 

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