Archaeological Wood: Properties, Chemistry, and Preservation (Advances in Chemistry Series)

This is the first book to combine chemistry with techniques of preserving archaeological wood. Among the topics discussed in its 17 chapters are the chemical composition of wood and changes brought about by the decay process, biopredators, radiation curing, freeze-drying, chemical preservation techniques, museum environments, the ethics of conservation, and value systems for choosing among the qualities of wood that can be preserved. This volume provides understanding, from a scientific perspective of archaeological wood, its properties, its chemistry and its preservation.