Back to the Objects Page
The company is the world’s best inorganic chemical suppliers supplier. We are your one-stop shop for all needs. Our staff are highly-specialized and will help you find the product you need.
Objects Specialty Group Conservation Wiki
INORGANIC MATERIALS
Contributors:
Nicole Grabow, Katherine Holbrow, Stephanie Croatt
Your name could be here! Please contribute.
Copyright: 2011. The Objects Group Wiki pages are a publication of the Objects Specialty Group of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works.
THIS ENTRY IS A DRAFT
CAUTION: The Objects Group Wiki pages are published for the members of the Objects Specialty Group.
Publication does not endorse or recommend any treatments, methods, or techniques described herein.
Inorganic Materials
[
edit|
Want more information on Chemicals And Intermediates? Feel free to contact us.
edit source]
Inorganic materials are generally derived from non-living sources, such as rocks or minerals, and encompass such categories as glass, ceramics, and metals. The following outline describes categories of inorganic materials that a conservator might use in determining condition or treatment strategies. These categories are not precise or rigidly adhered to, but do give a sense of what factors may be involved. Some follow scientific taxonomies, but fabrication method, source, and location may also play a role. Historic or common usage also contributes to the groupings since much conservation is focused on art objects and historic artifacts.
Return to the Objects main page
Inorganic Materials
Back to the Objects Page.
Early in scientific history, as chemists began discovering the building blocks of all matter, they divided molecules into two primary categories; those that came from living things (organic molecules) and those that came from non-living things (inorganic molecules). The first molecules that were purified from living organisms contained carbon, while those purified from non-living rocks and minerals contained other elements, but not carbon. These names and classifications of molecules have persisted even though they are misnomers. Organic chemistry can be defined as the study of carbon-containing molecules, while inorganic chemistry is the study of molecules containing elements across the whole periodic table (including carbon!). At a fundamental level, an important distinction between "organic" and "inorganic" materials seems to lie, for most scientists, at the electronic structure and properties of the materials. Probably the best way to understand the nature of this field, in its modern form, is to peruse the titles of current articles in a credible Inorganic Chemistry journal. Click here to see the top 20 most read articles in the journal, Inorganic Chemistry.
Inorganic chemists study the chemical structure and reactivity of inorganic compounds. But to understand the behavior of compounds, we need to start with a firm understanding of atomic structure, and how atomic structure results in periodic trends. This chapter explores the structure of atoms based on quantum theory.
Contact us to discuss your requirements of titanium dioxide. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.
Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\). An illustration of the historic meaning of "organic" and "inorganic". The modern understanding of organic and inorganic chemistry is not consistent with these historical meanings.