Rp. Evershed et al., APPLICATION OF ISOTOPE RATIO MONITORING GAS-CHROMATOGRAPHY MASS-SPECTROMETRY TO THE ANALYSIS OF ORGANIC RESIDUES OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL ORIGIN, Analyst, 119(5), 1994, pp. 909-914
Isotope ratio monitoring gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (irm GC-
MS) was used to determine the delta C-13 values of individual compound
s present in organic residues preserved in archaeological potsherds. T
he lipid fractions of the preserved organic residues were extracted fr
om potsherds recovered from excavations performed as part of the Raund
s Area Project, Northamptonshire, UK. The lipid extracts were analysed
by high temperature GC and GC-MS. The leaf wax of a contemporary wild
-type Brassica was also extracted and analysed for comparative purpose
s. Prior to irm GC-MS analysis, lipid extracts were fractionated; alka
ne and ketone fractions were obtained from the wild-type Brassica leaf
wax, the total lipid extracts of two of the potsherds, and an archaeo
logical soil sample using small- scale flash chromatography. The delta
C-13 values obtained for the samples were consistent with the individ
ual lipids investigated being of C-3 plant origin. These data support
the hypothesis that the lipids preserved in the potsherds were derived
from a Brassica species such as cabbage. These results confirm the po
tential value of irm GC-MS to derive stable isotope ratios for individ
ual lipid species of archaeological interest, and, more specifically,
the potential for application of the technique to palaeodietary invest
igations.