FTIR in amber research

FTIR stands for “Fourier transform infrared” and it is the most common form of infrared spectroscopy. All infrared spectroscopies act on the principle that when infrared (IR) radiation passes through a sample, some of the radiation is absorbed. The radiation that passes through the sample is recorded. We use FTIR in the lab to study amber for a multitude of reasons, it is one of the many diagnostic tests we use to avoid advanced fakes. We use it as one of many tests used to verify the origin of the amber. FTIR is also used to verify the species of tree that originally generated the tree resin, this is especially important when studying Hukawng amber as the ambers there were produced by various different species of tree unike many other locations worldwide where the amber found often comes from just one species of tree. Many people inadvertently damage amber during research. True Hukawng amber is one of the hardest ambers in the world, not only is it hard but it is tough too. Many amber producing locations unlike Hukawng produce brittle amber which is not so attractive to jewelry makers as it breaks easily. If a piece of Hukawng amber breaks and there was no torsion inside the stone then FTIR is a useful tool to help us identify the issue. By performing FTIR tests before and after sychrotron scans can for example help us determine if the beam made any invisible changes to the amber and its chemical makeup. We intend to eventually pubish our FTIR databases to help fellow researchers ensure that locations etc are correct and accurate.