Abstract 1539 Spectroscopic and Chromatographic Studies of Pottery Sherds from Guatemala

Pottery sherds were collected from various sites located in Guatemala (Ixlu, Flores, Nixtun Chi'ich, Zacpeten, and Tayasal). These sherds were used by the Maya people of lowland Guatemala. Powder X-ray fluorescence (pXRF,) Fourier transform-infrared spectrometry (FT-IR,) gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (GC-FID), gas chromatography - mass spectrometer (GC-MS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) were used for spectroscopic and chromatographic analyses. PXRF revealed elemental composition of macroelements (Ca, K, Al, P, Si, Cl, S, Mg) and microelements (Mn, Nd, Pr, Ba, Zn, Mo, Sr, U, Rb, Th, Pb, Au, Se, As, Hg, Zr, W, Cu, Ni, Co, Ce, La, Sb, Sn, Cd, Ag, Y, Nb, Bi, Cr, V, Ti, Sc). The elemental findings from Zacpeten and Tayasal were compared to each other to reveal their similarities. Toxic elements found within the samples, such as Hg, Cd, and As, were under the USEPA-recommended amounts. FTIR revealed aliphatic n(C-H), carbonyl n(C=O), and hydroxyl n(O-H) stretches. These functional groups give insight into the structure of lipids present in the matrix of the sherds. Lipid extraction was performed on sherds using an acidified methanol technique to isolate the total lipid extract. (TLE.) The TLE was analyzed through GC-FID and GC-MS. Analysis through various spectroscopic and chromatographic techniques revealed similarities in the lipid structures contained in the pottery sherds. It is hypothesized that medium-chained fatty acids will be most prevalent in the pottery sherds analyzed.