Conservation Science

Leather 115

5 Conservation Techniques

Conservation can be considered to be the application of a treatment or a

series of treatments to an object of artistic, historic or even sentimental value

to prevent, halt or reverse deterioration. The more philosophical and ethical

considerations of the profession have been discussed, among others, by Pye and

the practical application of these considerations to leather objects by Sturge.

N

H

H

H

H

H

O

H

H N

H

H

H

H

H

O

O

O

H

N

H

H

H H

H

O

OH

proline pyroglutamic acid glutamic acid

N

H

H

H

H

OH

O

H

H CO^2

O

H

N

H

H

H

O

OH

hydroxyproline

aspartic acid carbon dioxide

Figure 11Possible oxidative mechanisms for the production of acidic side-groups from
imino acid residues. Asterisk * indicates site of oxidative attack

N

N

O H H O H H

R1

N

O

H

H H

R1

H N

H R2

HO O

R2

+

H 2 O

Figure 12Hydrolytic scission of protein chain