Py-GCxGC/MS in cultural heritage studies: An illustration throughanalytical characterization of traditional East Asian handmade papers

International audienceWe tested the performance of pyrolysis-comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography/massspectrometry in the course of our cultural heritage studies, and compared its potentialities for the char-acterization of traditional East Asian handmade papers with those previously obtained by pyrolysis-gaschromatography/mass spectrometry. The evaluation of the two methods was conducted in consider-ing the number of detected peaks, the compounds separation, the sensitivity, and the identificationof marker compounds. The results showed that the number of plant markers (triterpenes and phytos-terols) detected in a Japanese kozo reference paper was improved in the pyrolysis fingerprint. With again in sensitivity in the order of six, the case study of a museum sample confirmed that pyrolysis-comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography/mass spectrometry is more efficient for a reliableidentification of museum collections samples and/or archaeological samples where tiny quantities ofmaterials are the rule. The present study has been successful in refining a micro-destructive methodbased on analytical pyrolysis for the characterization of traditional East Asian handmade papers usingpyrolysis-comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography/mass spectrometry