Matthew Almond, BSc (Reading); DPhil (Oxford)
Head of Department
Senior Lecturer in Inorganic Chemistry
Tel: +44 (0)118 378-8454
Fax: +44 (0)118 378-8450
Email: M.J.Almond@reading.ac.uk
My current research interests centre upon the application of physical methods in analytical chemistry,
especially with regard to Environmental, Earth and Archaeological Science. The principal technique
that I use in my research is infrared spectroscopy. This research is carried out in collaboration with
colleagues from the School of Human and Environmental Sciences in particular Drs. Wendy Matthews
and Stuart Black.
Archaeological Science
My work has focussed upon the identification and analysis of materials and objects from a number of
important sites. These include mineralised seeds, fruit skins and maggots from the Roman town of
Silchester where the mineral is identified as a carbonate-substituted hydroxyapatite. The work has allowed
the mechanism of mineralisation to be explored.
Organic residues from pottery from Silchester and the
Bronze Age site of Gatas in Spain have been studied
using the NERC mass spectroscopy facility at
University of Bristol and the usage of pottery thereby
determined. In these cases infrared spectroscopy is
shown to be a very useful screening method. I am also
working as part of the international team studying the
Neolithic site of Catalhoyuk in Turkey. I am carrying out
a detailed study of plaster samples from the buildings
at this site, studying the origin and production of the
plasters and am looking at samples from middens
including coprolites and plant phytoliths. Micromorphological work is important here and several
experiments have been carried out at the Daresbury laboratory. I am currently advising on the construction
of the infrared beamline at Diamond to ensure its usefulness for archaeological research. In a very recent
study I am investigating pottery and phytolith samples from one of the earliest known Lapita sites in Fiji in
collaboration with University of South Pacific.
Above: Mineralised
maggot from
cess-pit at
Silchester site;
Right: Infrared
spectra recorded
from a thin section
of mineralised
maggot using the
infrared microscope
at station 11.1 at
the Daresbury
Laboratory.
PhD Student
collecting samples at
Catalhoyuk, Turkey.
Earth and Environmental Science
Recent work includes the monitoring of heavy metal pollution in the
former mining areas of Devon Great Consoles, UK and Rio Tinto,
Spain. The elemental and mineralogical content of a range of water,
solid, sediment and mineral samples is determined by a range of
methods. Infrared spectroscopy is used with other techniques to identify
mineral samples. Two specific studies have been the transport of
arsenic at Devon Great Consoles and the effect of mixing of low pH
waters on metal concentrations at Rio Tinto.
Iron-rich water at Rio Tinto mining area in Spain
Forensic Science
Recent work has focussed on two
areas: (i) the identification and
characterisation of gun shot residue
by a combination of Pb isotope
studies using ICP-MS and organic
residue analysis using LC-MS-MS;
(ii) a study of the etching of
fingerprints into metal surfaces at
high temperatures. This work is
carried out in collaboration with the
scientific unit of the
Northamptonshire Police.
Recent Publications
1. S.D.M. Allen, M.J. Almond, M.G. Bell, P.Hollins, S. Marks and J.L. Mortimore, Infrared
Spectroscopy of the Mineralogy of Coprolites from Brean Down: Evidence of past Human
activities and Animal Husbandry, Spectrochim Acta, Part A, 58, 2002, 959-965.
2. S.D.M. Atkinson, M.J. Almond, P. Hollins and S.L. Jenkins, The Photodimerisation of α- and
β- forms of trans-Cinnamic Acid: a Study of Single Crystals by Vibrational Microspectroscopy,
Spectrochim Acta, Part A, 59, 2003, 629-635.
3. N. Goldberg, J.S. Ogden, M.J. Almond, R. Walsh, J.P. Cannady, R. Becerra and J.A.
Lee,Reactions of SiCl2 with N2O, NO and O2, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2003, 5371- 5377.
4. S.D.M. Atkinson, M.J. Almond, S.J. Hibble, P. Hollins, S.L. Jenkins, M.J. Tobin and K.S.
Wiltshire, An in-situ time-dependent study of the photodimerisation of chloro-derivatives of
trans-cinnmaic acid using infrared microspectroscopy with a synchrotron radiation source, Phys.
Chem. Chem. Phys., 2004, 4-6.
5. K.S. Wiltshire, M.J. Almond and P.C.H. Mitchell, Reactions of hydroxyl radicals with
trichloroethene in argon matrices at 12 K, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2004, 58-63.
6. J.L. Mortimore, L-J.R. Marshall, M.J. Almond, P. Hollins and W. Matthews, Analysis of red
and yellow ochre samples from Clearwell Caves and Çatalhöyük by vibrational spectroscopy and
other techniques, Spectrochim Acta, Part A, 60, 2004, 1179-1188.
7. R.Becerra, N. Goldberg, J.P. Cannady, M.J. Almond, J.S. Ogden and R. Walsh,
Experimental and Theoretical Evidence for Homogeneous Catalysis in the Gas-Phase Reaction
of SiH2 with H2O (and D2O): A Combined Kinetic and Quantum Chemical Study, J. Amer. Chem.
Soc., 126, 2004, 6816-6824.
8. N. Goldberg, M.J. Almond, J.P. Cannady, J.S. Ogden, R. Walsh and R. Becerra, The
Gas-Phase Reactions Of SiCl4 and Si2Cl6 with CH3OH and C2H5OH: An Investigation by Mass
Spectrometry and Matrix-Isolation Infrared Spectroscopy, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 6, 2004,
3264-3270.
9. L-J. R. Marshall, J.R. Williams, M.J. Almond, S.D.M. Atkinson, S.R. Cook, W. Matthews and
J.L. Mortimore, Analysis of Ochres from Clearwell Caves: the Role of Particle Size in
Determining Colour, Spectrochim Acta, Part A, 61, 2005, 233-241.
10. M.J. Almond, S.D.M. Atkinson and L.J-R. Marshall, Analytical Chemistry Makes the News,
Educ. In Chem., 42, 2005, 39-41.
11. R. Becera, S-J. Bowes, J.S. Ogden, J.P. Cannady, M.J. Almond and R. Walsh,
Time-Resolved Gas-Phase Kinetic and Quantum Chemical Studies of the Reaction of Silylene
with Nitric Oxide, J. Phys. Chem. A, 109, 2005, 1071-1080.
12. R. Becerra, S-J. Bowes, J.S. Ogden, J.P. Cannady, I. Adamovic, M.S. Gordon, M.J. Almond
and R. Walsh, Time-Resolved Gas-Phase Kinetic and Quantum Chemical Studies of the
Reaction of Silylene with Oxygen, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 7, 2005, 2900-2908.
13. M.J. Almond, S. Eversfield and S.D.M. Atkinson, A Window on the Past, Chem. Ind., 2005,
issue 14, pages 15-17.
14. S.L. Jenkins, M.J. Almond, S.D.M. Atkinson, J.P. Knowles, Gas-solid reactions of single
crystals: A study of reactions of NH3 and NO2 with single crystalline organic substrates by
infrared microspectroscopy, Spectrochim Acta, Part A, 62, 2005, 1131-1139.
15. S.L. Jenkins, M.J. Almond and P. Hollins, Gas-solid reactions of single crystals: A study of the
reaction of bromine with single crystals of trans-cinnamic acid and a range of its derivatives by
infrared and Raman microspectroscopy, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2005, 7, 1966-1970.
16. E. Subasi and M.J. Almond, Thermal Decomposition of Hexanitronickelate(II) hydrate,
Thermochim. Acta, 2005, 429, 227-231.
17. S.L. Jenkins, M.J. Almond, S.D.M. Atkinson, M.G.B. Drew, P. Hollins, J.L. Mortimore and
M.J. Tobin, The kinetics of the 2 pi; + 2 pi; photodimerisation reactions of single-crystalline
derivatives of trans-cinnamic acid: A study by infrared microspectroscopy, J. Mol. Struct., 2006,
786, 220-226.