I think you need to find your residue analyst who should advise. This 
needs to be done by a specialist not only in organic chemistry but 
someone who appreciates the problems of archeological sampling and 
chemical change over time. My father as a trainee chemist was taught if 
you have to split taking a sample and analysing it between a labourer 
and a Phd chemist get the chemist to take the sample and the labourer to 
analyse it.


paul

Jason Ramsey wrote:
> I am a lab supervisor working with Shannon Dawdy on material
> from the New Orleans French Quarter.  I was wondering if
> anyone had suggestions on how best to approach possible
> chemical residue analysis.
>
> We have a great deal of ceramic and bottle glass.
> What techniques are most recommended to explore the use of
> (unglazed) ceramic vessels in historic contexts?  
> And should the contents of bottles only be analyzed in the
> cases of whole specimens or might bottle bases still retain
> detectable traces in them?  
>
> Thanks
>
> Jason Ramsey
> University of Chicago
>
>