Characterization of fossil Sequoioxylon wood using analytical instrumental techniques

• Published in: Vibrational spectroscopy Vol. 96; pp. 10 - 18
• Main Authors: Ozgenc, Ozlem, Durmaz, Sefa, Serdar, Bedri, Boyaci, Ismail H., Eksi-Kocak, Haslet, Öztürk, Murat
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 01.05.2018; Elsevier BV
• Subjects: Carbohydrates; Destructive testing; Fossil wood; Fossils; Fourier transforms; FT-Raman; FTIR; Infrared spectroscopy; Laser induced breakdown spectroscopy; LIBS; Light microscopy; Molecular structure; Molecules; Morphology; Nondestructive testing; Organic chemistry; Raman spectra; Raman spectroscopy; Spectrum analysis; Wood; Wood degradation; Light microscopy; Fossil wood; Wood degradation; FT-Raman; LIBS; FTIR
• ISSN: 0924-2031; 1873-3697
• DOI: 10.1016/j.vibspec.2018.02.006

[Display omitted] •The anatomical structure of the fossil and recent wood is quite similar.•The strong lignin peaks indicate for the fossil wood in FT-Raman analysis.•The carbohydrates of fossil wood were more degraded compared with lignin.•LIBS showed a significant decrease in the H and O content of fossil wood.•The C content of fossil wood was almost similar to the recent wood. In this study, fossil (Sequoioxylon) wood from the Oligocene–Miocene transition in İstanbul, Turkey was examined using non-destructive test methods to evaluate changes in anatomical and chemical structure. Molecular changes in the cell wall structure of the wood were determined using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and FT-Raman spectroscopy, along with the comparison to recent wood [Sequoiadendron giganteum (Lindl.)]. We found that the cell wall carbohydrates of the fossil wood were significantly more degraded compared with lignin; FT-Raman spectroscopy revealed the degradation in more detail compared with FTIR spectroscopy. FT-Raman spectra also demonstrated that hemicellulose and holocellulose were decreased in the fossil wood. Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) analysis confirmed that the mass loss was due to the decreased H and O content of the fossil wood sample and was caused by decomposition. Light microscopy also showed that fossil and recent woods have similar anatomic structures, and that the micro-morphological structure of the fossil wood was well-preserved.