Analysis of acids and degradation products related to iron and sulfur in the Swedish warship Vasa

Aqueous wood extracts from the historic Swedish warship Vasa have been analyzed by 1H-NMR spectroscopy, ion chromatography, and matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry as part of studies on the chemical degradation related to increased levels of iron and sulfur. The results show that low molecular organic acids have accumulated in the Vasa wood after the 1961 salvage. The increased acidity was found in a context of chemical degradation of the wood polymers and the conservation agent polyethylene glycol (PEG) in iron-rich parts of the timber. Formic, glycolic and oxalic acid are all possible end-products of oxidative degradation of wood polymers, whereas hydrolysis of acetyl groups in xylan may have contributed to increased concentrations of acetic acid. MALDI-TOF spectra of PEG displaced towards low-molecular PEG oligomers, as reported earlier, were accompanied by increased levels of formic acid, indicating oxidative degradation of PEG. PEG with a carboxylic acid end group (PEGC) was observed to a minor degree in the wood. However, analysis of stored conservation treatment solutions showed high concentrations of PEGC yielding significant contributions to the acidity during the 1960s conservation period. PEGC was probably formed as a result of microbial processes during the early conservation regime. Calculations using concentrations and well-established acidity constants show that oxalic and formic acid are the primary contributors to a low pH in the wood. The increased acidity in the interior of the wood was found in the absence of sulfur compounds but in a context of iron. The majority of the sub-samples with significant levels of sulfate in the surface region with a prospective sulfur oxidation, however, showed neither a decreased pH nor significant depolymerization. This indicates that oxidation pathways of organically bound sulfur do not necessarily produce strong acids, and thereby free protons, as the final product. These observations imply opposing effects of iron and reduced sulfur species, with iron acting as a initiator in oxidative reactions of Fenton type, whereas the reduced organic sulfur compounds may act as anti-oxidants.