Artifact 2-8-S-39 was the subject of analysis in two stages. In the first step, it was analyzed for elemental makeup; in the second, it was looked at in comparison with the Mondaine compact purchased on eBay for that purpose. The Purdue University Library Special Collections has among its Earhart holdings a Mondaine compact which belonged to her and was donated with other effects to the Library by George Putnam. The small compact we purchased was new and unused; the cellophane protecting the makeup was still intact (see photo above). It dates from the 1930s.

From Report 71:

Red Wafer Analysis: XRF analysis of the wafer revealed that it is primarily inorganic and the major components are calcium, barium, iron, and zinc (see Figure 1). Strontium was the only minor component, a geochemical relative of calcium and barium. The only compounds identifiable by FTIR were clay and calcium carbonate (chalk, see Figures 2 and 3). While these are natural compounds, the high barium and zinc content of this wafer suggests that it is a man-made material and that it is likely some sort of pigmented material rather than, for example, a fragment of a brick. Barium and zinc are components of white pigments/fillers that were commonly employed in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Zinc oxides, kaolin clay, iron oxides are common components of cosmetics, with zinc oxide being introduced in the nineteenth century. No binder such as an oil, wax, or gum could be identified through FTIR, and Raman only confirmed the presence of calcite in the wafer. All of the elements and compounds identified in the red wafer are consistent with an early twentieth-century cosmetic.  The absence of an organic binder is unusual, but this could be a result of degradation due to burial/environmental exposure.

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From Report 88:

1. Mondaine Cosmetics Compact:

1. The pale pink ‘flesh’ cosmetic is composed of zinc, calcium, potassium, and iron-containing compounds. The main molecular constituents include kaolin clay (Al₂Si₂O₅(OH₄)), aragonite (a form of calcium carbonate, CaCO₃). The zinc containing component was identified by the fine structure of the carbonate band in the FTIR, which suggests that a zinc carboxylate compound such as zinc stearate or zinc octanoate is present. This type of compound, formed from the reaction of zinc with animal fats, is a common early 20th century cosmetic component and has recently been identified in a late 19th c. cosmetic at Winterthur.
2. The dark pink ‘medium’ cosmetic is composed primarily of iron, calcium, and zinc. The main molecular constituents of this cosmetic are kaolin clay, the aragonite form of calcium carbonate, and iron oxide red, which is in part responsible for its pink color. There also appears to be a red organic dye present in this cosmetic, and liquid chromatography would be required for a positive identification of this material.
3. The metal housing of the cosmetic case is made from brass, a copper and zinc alloy.

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1. Red cake-like material (2-8-S-39)

1. The red interior of this material is comprised of an iron-containing compound, and the black crust on the exterior is comprised of a calcium-containing compound. Raman analysis reveals that the red compound is iron oxide red, Fe₂O₃. FTIR analysis reveals that the calcium-containing compound in the black crust is bone ash, calcium hydroxyapatite or Ca₁₀(PO₄)₆(OH)₂. Calcium carbonate is also present. This suggests the presence of burned human or animal remains at this archaeological site.

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