Chalconatronite

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Chalconatronite

Description

A powdery, blue corrosion product composed of a hydrated sodium copper carbonate. Chalconatronite has been found on corroded bronzes which have been treated with Sodium sesquicarbonate (Horie and Vint, 1982) and on Silver objects that were cleaned or replated using a Sodium cyanide solution (Strahan, 1986).

Physical and Chemical Properties

Composition Na2Cu(CO3)2-3H2O
Refractive Index 1.662

FTIR (MFA)

Chalconatronite, with some impurities.PNG

Raman (MFA)

Chalconatronite, collodion slide, 532nm.TIF

XRF (MFA)

Slide3 chalconatronite.PNG


Resources and Citations

  • D.A.Scott, Copper and Bronze in Art:Corrosion, Colorants and Conservation, Getty Publications, Los Angeles, 2002.
  • D. Strahan "Treatment of a Silver Dragon for the Removal of Silver Cyanide and Chalconatronite" JAIC, 25: 73-81, 1986.
  • C. Horie, J.Vint, "Chalconatronite: A By-Product of Conservation?" Studies in Conservation 27:185-186, 1982.

° R. Gettens, C. Frondel "Chalconatronite: An Alteration Product on Some Ancient Egyptian Bronzes" Studies in Conservation, 2:64-74, 1955.