Surface and bulk properties of ancient Egyptian mortars, part II: Adsorption and infrared studies

Adsorption studies carried out on Ancient Egyptian mortars suggest that these materials are essentially nonporous with a certain degree of mesoporosity. Analysis of the adsorption data was achieved by means of two reference nonporous materials. Surface activity is observed as a result of heat-treatment. Infrared studies confirm that the samples contain gypsum, calcite and quartz sand with a clearcut predominance of gypsum in the mortars extracted from the Sphinx statue. A correlation is perceived between these results and the X-Ray Diffraction results obtained in Part I of this series.