CH 492 - Chemical Archeology

Lecture Hours: 1
Lab Hours: 0
Credit Hours: 1

Within the field of archaeology, chemistry has played a critical role in the reconstruction of humanity’s past for over a 150 years. This short course will focus on the application of chromatography, mass spectrometry, and spectroscopy to the elemental, isotopic, and molecular analysis of artifacts and their associated remains including bone, stone, soils, pigments, and organic residues. It will be seen that similar to forensic evidence these remains present numerous analytical challenges when answering questions about composition, chronology, and authenticity. Basic knowledge of organic nomenclature and structure is necessary. Prerequisite(s): CH 138