iron gall ink with copper

Byzantium
14th Century
Source: Vassiou, E., Lazidou, D., Kampasakali, E., Pavlidou, E., & Stratis, J. (2024). Iron gall ink from historical recipes on organic substrates and their study before and after accelerated ageing with μ-RAMAN Spectroscopy and SEM-EDS. Journal of Cultural Heritage, 66, 584-592.
Recipe Details

Ingredients

white wine, gall nuts, FeSO4, CuSO4, Arabic gum, tannic acid, apricot gum

Preparation Steps

This recipe uses wine as a solvent (ethanol). Two variations were made: 1) Gall nuts, gum arabic, and a mixture of ferrous and copper sulfate. 2) Pure tannic acid, copper sulfate, and apricot gum. For the second, apricot gum was added to the wine three days before boiling to dissolve completely. Copper sulfate does not change the color of the tannic acid solution until boiling, when it turns green and eventually dark brown-green (p. 587).

Original Recipe Text

This recipe uses wine as a solvent (ethanol). Two variations were made: 1) Gall nuts, gum arabic, and a mixture of ferrous and copper sulfate. 2) Pure tannic acid, copper sulfate, and apricot gum. For the second, apricot gum was added to the wine three days before boiling to dissolve completely. Copper sulfate does not change the color of the tannic acid solution until boiling, when it turns green and eventually dark brown-green (p. 587).

Evidence

"Forth Recipe- BF, BFC (“ink contribution”) (Wien, Österr. Nationalbibliothek, jurid. gr. 6, f. 205)... The first preparation used gall nuts and gum arabic, but the vitriol was a mixture of ferrous and copper sulfate... During boiling it acquires a green hue and gradually darkens, producing a dark brown-green solution."

Remarks

The use of copper sulfate is considered more corrosive. SEM imaging of BFC samples showed crystals formed at the edges of the ink, while in BC (only copper), crystals formed outside ink boundaries (p. 591).

Scientific Analysis
Chemical CompositionFeSO4, CuSO4
Analytical Techniques
SEM-EDS
Certainty Level
Probable
Instrumentally Verified
Verified
Metadata
Material Type
ink
BinderAcacia gum
ColorGreen
RegionByzantium
Approx. Year1350
Source Information
TitleIron gall ink from historical recipes on organic substrates and their study before and after accelerated ageing with μ-RAMAN Spectroscopy and SEM-EDS
AuthorVassiou, E., Lazidou, D., Kampasakali, E., Pavlidou, E., & Stratis, J.
CollectionCodex jurid. gr. 6, f. 205 (National Library of Austria)
Language
N/A
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