The series Topics in Current Chemistry Collections presents critical reviews from the journal Topics in Current Chemistry organized in topical volumes. The scope of coverage is all areas of chemical science including the interfaces with related disciplines such as biology, medicine and materials science. The goal of each thematic volume is to give the non-specialist reader, whether in academia or industry, a comprehensive insight into an area where new research is emerging which is of interest to a larger scientific audience.Each review within the volume critically surveys one aspect of that topic and places it within the context of the volume as a whole. The most significant developments of the last 5 to 10 years are presented using selected examples to illustrate the principles discussed. The coverage is not intended to be an exhaustive summary of the field or include large quantities of data, but should rather be conceptual, concentrating on the methodological thinking that will allow the non-specialist reader to understand the information presented. Contributions also offer an outlook on potential future developments in the field.

Emerging Approaches in Synchrotron Studies of Materials from Cultural and Natural History Collections.- Non-invasive Investigations of Paintings by Portable Instrumentation: The MOLAB Experience.- Non-destructive Examination of Artistic Pigments, Paints and Paintings by Means of X-ray Methods.- New Frontiers in Application of FTIR Microscopy for Characterization of Cultural Heritage Materials.- Raman Spectroscopy of cultural heritage Materials: Overview of Applications and New Frontiers in Instrumentation, Sampling Modalities, and Data Processing.- Immunochemical Micro Imaging Analyses for the Detection of Proteins in Artworks.- Immunochemical Methods Applied to Art-Historical Materials: Identification and Localization of Proteins by ELISA and IFM.- Trends in High Performance Liquid Chromatography for Cultural Heritage.- Analytical Approaches Based on Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS) to Study Organic Materials in Artworks and Archaeological Objects.- DNA Sequencing in Cultural Heritage.- Radiocarbon Dating.