Fluorescence Characteristics and Main Fluorescence Component in Burmese 'chameleon' Amber.

ABSTRACT

One special variety of Burmese amber is "chameleon" amber, named for the bluish-green colour that appears to float on its surface. This material is found in the famous Tengchong market in Yunnan Province, China's largest Burmese amber market. Its bodycolour ranges from golden brown to brownish-red or even red. When exposed to sunlight or strong white light against a black background, its surface shows a uniform green colour. This research presents the gemological properties, spectral characteristics and organic components of Burmese 'chameleon' amber. Three-dimensional (3D) fluorescence spectra showed that Burmese 'chameleon' amber had fluorescence centres near 433, 465 and 470 nm, and the excitation wavelengths of the fluorescence centres of Burmese 'chameleon' amber were shifted from the ultraviolet region (380 ± 10 nm) to the visible region (410 ± 10 nm), with the emission wavelengths concentrated at the bluish-green region. Through the colour simulation and superimposition, the phenomenon of floating bluish-green fluorescence colour of Burmese 'chameleon' amber is not only derived from bluish-green fluorescence centres, but also enhanced by the mixture of surface fluorescence and its bodycolour. Headspace solid-phase microextraction gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC-MS) analysis demonstrated the variety of aromatic compounds in Burmese 'chameleon' amber was related to geological process and the presence of fluorescence components. The high-performance liquid chromatography-fluorescence detector obtained some fluorescent aromatics, particularly benzo[a]anthracene with yellowish-green fluorescence, which is responsible for the fluorescence characteristics of Burmese 'chameleon' amber.