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The article reports on the ink corrosion on handwritten documents at the Marburg University. The documents at the university were stored in barrier papers and were partially micro-filmed. The plan to digitalize jurist Carl Friedrich von Savigny's estate offered the first opportunity to display a spectrum of ink corrosion damage symptoms and to take conservation measures.

The article presents a study, which characterized the ink components in ancient manuscripts by FTIR spectroscopy. The destructive mechanism of the inks can be influenced and exacerbated by various characteristics and processes. These include the characteristics of the paper, the composition of the ink, environmental conditions and chemical reactions with other molecules. An understanding of the reaction mechanisms of the components of the original ink is crucial for an understanding of the damage caused to paper and parchment. Characterization of these components can help to describe these mechanisms and consequently avoid degradation.

The article presents information on calcium phytate in the treatment of corrosion caused by iron gall inks. Iron gall inks, developed later than carbon ink, became steadily more common and widespread during the middle ages. The carbon inks in use up until that time had the invaluable quality of not being reactive, due to the stability of carbon. They were not subject to chemical alteration and did not contain any substances that would damage the support. It seems that the instability of carbon ink may have encouraged the practice of adding small quantities of ferrous sulphate.

The article presents information on evaluation of the effectiveness of stabilization methods of papers. The extensive use of iron gall inks over the centuries, has given rise to an increasing interest for chemists and conservators in the degradation of this medium on paper. The most plausible hypothesis for the degradation seems to be acid hydrolysis and oxidation of the cellulose caused by the presence of the ink. The cause of these chemical reactions stem from the nature of the ingredients, mainly gallic acid and iron sulphate. The main effects of degradation are extensive losses of the paper substrate within the inked areas and the increase in acidity of a document.

The article presents information on the effect of simmering on the chemical and mechanical properties of paper. Iron gall ink corrosion of paper threatens to destroy a large portion of historic manuscripts, records and drawings globally. A great deal of effort has been and continues to be, invested in studying and understanding the causes and pathways of iron gall ink corrosion of paper, and the efficacy of various conservation treatments. Among the many traditional treatments, "boiling paper" as a treatment for corroded iron gall ink documents has been used for more than 30 years 68.

Part I. Presents a study that examined a non destructive detection system for iron gallotannate ink. Effect of iron gall inks on paper; Application of false color infrared photography (FCIR) as a method for analyzing the components of iron gall inks; Advantage of FCIR over other non-destructive optical methods.

Deals with a study which examined the effects of varying concentrations of the main components of iron-gall ink on paper corrosion. Experimental set-up; Results and discussion; Conclusions.