Structural Study of a Japanese Lacquer Film with Thermogravimetry-Linked Scan Mass Spectrometry

Abstract

Japanese lacquer artwork is one of the most famous cultural heritages in Japan. The main component of the Japanese lacquer is urushiol, which consists of phenol derivatives. The dimerization process of urushiol has been investigated in detail, but the structure of urushiol polymer has not. In this study, the structure was investigated by using thermogravimetry (TG)-linked scan mass spectrometry (MS). Linked scan MS is effective in detecting the thermal degradation products of urushiol polymer as the evolved gas. As a result, it is concluded that 3-pentadecylcatechol and 3-pentadecenylcatechol are the main components of the terminal groups of the urushiol polymer, and 3-pentadecatrienylcatechol is a main component of the polymer skeleton.

Keywords:

• Japanese lacquer
• Phenol derivatives
• Structural study
• Thermogravimetry-linked scan mass spectrometry
• Urushiol polymer