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What is the significance of Vanillin in understanding the age of the Shroud?
Vanillin is an aromatic compound that occurs naturally in vanilla beans (Vanilla Planifolia) and other plant material. It is used as a flavoring additive for food and beverages and as an aromatic ingredient in candles, air fresheners, perfumes, incense and potpourri. Vanillin is also used in the preparation of pharmaceutical drugs for Parkinson's disease and hypertension.
The chemical name for vanillin is 4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzaldehyde and the formula is C8H8O8. The vanillin compound has a molecular weight of 152.15.
Vanillin (for artificial vanilla) is also be produced as a byproduct of the paper and pulp product industry through the oxidative breakdown of lignin, a complex polymer, a non-carbohydrate constituent of plant material. The Aztec Indians in Mexico used vanillin as a flavoring ingredient, particularly as an accent in chocolate beverages. The Spanish Explorer Hernando Cortez introduced Europe to Vanillin in the early 1500s. Vanilla became popular as a flavoring ingredient among the aristocracy and particularly in the court of Queen Elizabeth.
Vanillin is produced naturally by the thermal decomposition of lignin. But, it diminishes and disappears with time. The kinetics constants for calculating the loss of vanillin from lignin are E = 29.6 kcal/mole and Z = 3.7 X 10exp11/second. For instance, the linen wrappings of the Dead Sea Scrolls do not test positive for vanillin but newer linen, including medieval linen, do contain it. Of particular interest, the Shroud of Turin does not test positive for vanillin except in one particular place, the place from which the carbon 14 sample were taken in 1988 for radiocarbon dating.
Quantitative counts of lignin residues show large differences between the carbon 14 sampling areas and the rest of the Shroud. Where there is lignin, in the sample area, it tests positive for vanillin. Other medieval cloths, where lignin is found, also test positive. But the main body of the Shroud, with significant lignin at the fiber growth nodes, does not have vanillin. This fact, alone, completely challenges the validity of the carbon 14 test. Also see Vanillin and the Shroud.
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© 2004 Daniel R. Porter, Bronxville, New York
