Identification of amber and imitations by near infrared reflection spectroscopy

Imitations of amber have been prepared since a long time, but the number of imitations is increasing since modern polymers are available. At present, many imitations are based on a few synthetic polymers and even experts have some problems in distinguishing between real and falsed amber without destruction of the material. IR-Spectroscopy or pyrolysis combined with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry are very efficient methods in identifying amber and imitations but these methods need a sample preparation. By means of near infrared reflection spectroscopy it is possible to identify amber and imitations without any sample preparation in a short time. Optimization of the method and the application are discussed.