The Use of Cyclododecane as a Temporary Barrier for Water-Sensitive Ink on Archaeological Ceramics during Desalination

The Treatment of an Unbaked Mud Statue from Ancient Egypt

“…Its ability to sublime means that it has the potential to be a truly reversible conservation material. Since its introduction in the conservation literature in 1995 (Hangleiter et al), many conservation uses for CDD have been proposed, including as a temporary consolidant for fragile surfaces during transport or intervention (Stein et al 2000;Caspi and Kaplan 2001;Neuner and Hubert 2001), as an aid to block-lifting during archaeological excavations (Jeberien 2002), as a separation layer during mold-making (Maish and Risser 2002), and as a waterproof barrier for moisture-sensitive materials undergoing aqueous treatments (Brückle et al 1999;Muros and Hirx 2004). Rowe and Rozeik (2008) have summarized its many uses in the conservation literature, as well as all research into the safety of cyclododecane to date.…”

Acoustic emission to detect xylophagous insects in wooden musical instrument

“…In some cases, specific wax could be used, but this solution is not suitable in the case of fragile paintings or varnished layers, where the wax removal could also remove the top layer. Since cyclododecane sublimates at room temperature with continued air exposure, it has been used for more than ten years in short-term applications, as an adhesive [18], a moulding material [19], barrier layer [20], or consolidant [21]. Sublimation negates the need for later removal of the adhesive, and temporary treatment with cyclododecane should not interfere with subsequent study, analysis, or treatment.…”

The Use of Menthol as Temporary Consolidant in the Excavation of Qin Shihuang's Terracotta Army

“…Such humidity changes lead to the release of moisture within the polychromy, which makes these lacquer layers go through severe shrinkage within minutes, accompanied by deformation, cracking and detachment from the terracotta surface (Emmerling et al 2001). In addition, the adhesion between the inorganic pigment layers and ground organic lacquer layers becomes very weak after 2000 years However, many conservators, while 'jumping on the bandwagon' (Rowe and Rozeik 2008), are unaware of the health-and safety-related issues concerning cyclododecane, especially now it is confirmed that cyclododecane is highly bioaccumulative and its exposure limits have not been established to date (Muros and Hirx 2004;Pool 2006;European Chemicals Agency 2008). Thus, it has been suggested that cyclododecane should be used cautiously and that preliminary tests should be conducted before any treatment is applied (Nichols and Mustalish 2003).…”