A new forensic tool for the identification of elephant or mammoth ivory

A new method for the analysis and the identification of elephant and mammoth ivory is reported; this fast and non-macroscopically disruptive method, based on the thermogravimetric analysis, is useful in the characterization of elephant ivory which is often illegally imported, with respect to mammoth ivory which can be used with no restrictions. By the characteristic thermal profile, the nature of the analyzed sample can be easily proved; moreover, no pretreatments are required by this simple but very sensitive technique. The results are compared with those obtained by the classic method, and the thermogravimetric method is proposed as a routine technique in forensic investigations because of its low cost and the easy-to-read diagnostic answer. The very low quantity of ivory needed (about 2–3 mg) allows the application of this technique to manufactures without any damage or loss of the analyzed sample.