John,
Mary Malaniey has done a lot of research on extracting lipid residues
from prehistoric ceramic artifacts. Here are a couple of links for you:
http://www.archbase.org/residue/ToC.html
http://www.brandonu.ca/Native/mary_malainey.htm 


Sandra Pentney, MA, RPA
"Archaeologists are but the senile playboys of science rooting in the
rubbish heaps of antiquity." (Earnest A Hooton, Apes, Men and Morons,
1938:218)
 
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-----Original Message-----
From: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of paul
courtney
Sent: Tuesday, October 07, 2008 2:58 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Suggestions for Chemical Residue Analysis

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
>
>