Gas chromatography–mass spectrometric analysis of products from on-line pyrolysis/silylation of plant gums used as binding media

Plant gums are complex polysaccharides used in the field of cultural heritage especially as binding media. Classification of polysaccharides may be achieved on the basis of monosaccharides composition after cleavage of glycosidic bond. Characterization of plant gums in works of art is complicated by the necessity of to use a method minimally invasive and requiring a small mount of sample.Pyrolisys is an useful method to obtain polysaccharides decomposition and generally pyrolysis products can be identified by the use of gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. This paper describes a method where two plant gums, arabic and tragacanth, were pyrolized in presence of silylating agents (HMDS e BSTFA alone and with TMCS as catalyst) using an on-line Py-GC/MS apparatus. Some characteristic trimethylsilyl derivatives of monosaccharides were identified on the basis of mass spectra. The presence of characteristic pyrolysis products of sugars allows to distinguish the two gums.