Download Rochester Scientist Receives Research Funding from the National

FOR RELEASE
September 19, 2011
Contact: Maryann Mendel
[email protected]
Rochester Scientist Receives Research Funding from the National Science
Foundation
Dr. Nicholas Zumbulyadis, a retired chemist from the Kodak Research Laboratories and a
current member of the Rochester Section of the American Chemical Society, is part of a team
studying the chemical mechanisms behind the deterioration of renowned art work.
This research program, developed jointly by Dr. Nicholas Zumbulyadis, Dr. Cecil Dybowski
(professor at the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry of the University of Delaware) and
Dr. Silvia Centeno (research scientist at the Scientific Research Department of the Metropolitan
Museum of Art) has received funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF). The project
is supported through NSF’s Cultural Heritage Science Program. It will use solid state nuclear
magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques to study the chemistry behind the gradual deterioration of
significant paintings, among them iconic works by Rembrandt van Rijn and John Singer Sargent.
NMR is an advanced analytical technique for the characterization of molecular structure and
dynamics and is now a well-established tool for solving problems in biochemistry, polymer
chemistry and materials science. While at Kodak, Dr. Zumbulyadis pioneered the application of
solid state NMR to characterize pigments and coatings used in various imaging technologies.
Prof. Dybowski has pioneered the development of Pb-207 solid state NMR techniques and the
theoretical interpretation of lead NMR spectra at the University of Delaware. Chemical reactions
involving lead containing pigments are thought to play a pivotal role in the deterioration of the
paintings. Dr. Centeno uses vibrational spectroscopy and other analytical techniques to
investigate and help preserve works of art at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The grant will also fund the creation of a three-year postdoctoral position for a recent graduate
with a PhD in chemistry. With research tools like NMR, scientists are able to bridge chemistry
with the arts and ensure that works like The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp by Rembrandt
and Portrait of Madame Pierre Gautreau by Sargent last for future generations.
Contact: Nicholas Zumbulyadis, [email protected] or (585) 458-4027