The Study On Gemological And Spectroscopy Characteristics Of Ambers

Amber is a leguminous plant conifers from Mesozoic cretaceous to Cenozoictertiary, through complicated geological process to a kind of natural organiccompounds. For the same origin of amber, the original rock of amber tend to havedifferent color and transparency, and different regions of ambers’ color and transparency ismore obvious. Based on the samples of the Baltic and Burma amber and as the researchobject, adopting conventional gemological testing method, infrared spectroscopy, Ramanspectroscopy, ultraviolet- visible spectrophotometer analysis, analysis of the amberinternal inclusion features of different colors and transparency, the types andcharacteristics of C functional groups, the organic molecular characteristics, comparingthe Baltic amber and Burma amber degree of oxidation, maturity and symmetry, providecertain scientific basis for the further research of amber.Baltic amber formed in the Paleogene about two thousand to sixty million years ago,its color is given priority to the resin yellow, transparency from transparent to opaque,refractive index of 1.538, the relative density of about 1.0719. Burma amber formed inthe cretaceous period, between eight thousand and one hundred million, its internalcontain red brown lines, its color often shows brown tone, usually good transparency, therefractive index of 1.527, the relative density of about 1.0393.The influence factors of the Baltic amber color and transparency depends primarilyon its internal contains, a large number of dense inclusions in tiny bubbles. Smaller anddenser the bubbles is, more lighter the color and more lower the transparency. Bumaamber with the deepening of its color, in the infrared spectrum indicates a C-O stretchband in 1180 ~ 1130 cm-1 and nearly 1720 cm 1 indicates the C=O(esters conjugate) bandpeak position gradually strengthen; While 1650 ~ 1600 cm-1 indicates C=C stretching(notconjugate) band with color deepens, the peak position have to present from strong toweak trend. Can concluded that the amber as color deepens, the degree of oxidation andmaturity is rising.Compare the Baltic and the infrared spectrum, indicating the C-O stretch band in1800 ~ 1130 cm-1 and the C=O(esters) band in 1755 ~ 1720 cm-1, Burma amber s’ symmetry degree of carbon skeleton and conjugated stability degree is higher than theBaltic amber. And Raman spectra indicate the maturity of the value of N, N = 0.6786(Burma) < N = 0.8060(Baltic), illustrate the amber maturity is higher than the Balticamber.