Friends,

I'm looking for a lab capable -- and more importantly, willing -- to
conduct lipid analyses of several samples of carbonized remains from
interiors of vessels.

More specifically, we need a lab with gc and ms, as well as the
appropriate library. The protocol is very similar to food analysis  --
extraction of the fat, hydrolysis of the glycerol ester, preparation of
the methyl esters, separation of the esters by gc. In order to detect
coincidence of two different compounds in the same peak  we'd probably
need  two different loaded columns for separation. The only real
difference between this and more typical food research seems to be that
the purification step is omitted ( to avoid contamination with modern
fat and also to avoid autoxidation of the small amounts of material
present).

Also, based on established protocols, the residues are extracted without
any prior
preparation in a Soxhlet apparatus, with the extract (after evaporation
of most of the solvent) used to prepare the methyl esters. Typically the
only part of the chromatogram used are those evidencing methyl esters,
although some we'd also like to look at the cetyl alcohol, since it may
provide information on fish resources.

The local university isn't interested, the Smithsonian doesn't do this
type of analysis, we're still waiting for a reply from the Getty, as
well as the Canadian Conservation Institute. We're gone through about 10
commercial labs -- all with no success.

If anyone knows of a lab -- any type of lab -- which is willing and able
to do this kind of work on a reasonable for-fee basis, please let me
know.

Thanks in advance.

Michael Trinkley, Ph.D.
Director
Chicora Foundation, Inc.
PO Box 8664
Columbia, SC  29202 USA
803/787-6910
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www.chicora.org