Plasticisers, analysis

Chemical analysis of rubber (specific gravity extract, filler, CB, polymer and sulfur analysis antidegradant and plasticiser analysis)... 

SPME-IR has been applied to VOCs in soil samples [547], Industrial applications to in-process streams can well be envisaged. SPME has not yet extensively been explored for polymers, but the determination of residual volatiles, semi-volatiles and degradation products in polymers has been reported [548]. It is equally well possible to use SPME for plasticiser analysis in various matrices (water, milk, blood, processed food, etc.). 

On the other hand, the HPLC-method, with its high selectivity, must be regarded as a welcome supplement and extension However, chromatography is often unable to separate sufficiently the individual types of plasticiser. One may then recommend hydrolysis with alcoholic potassium hydroxide, followed by GC- or TLC-identifica-tion of the acids and alcohols yielded All methods of plasticiser analysis which have so far been described, have, however, the shortcomings, sometimes serious, listed below ... 

More recently, the same author [41] has described polymer analysis (polymer microstructure, copolymer composition, molecular weight distribution, functional groups, fractionation) together with polymer/additive analysis (separation of polymer and additives, identification of additives, volatiles and catalyst residues) the monograph provides a single source of information on polymer/additive analysis techniques up to 1980. Crompton described practical analytical methods for the determination of classes of additives (by functionality antioxidants, stabilisers, antiozonants, plasticisers, pigments, flame retardants, accelerators, etc.). Mitchell... 

Infrared spectroscopy is a major tool for polymer and rubber identification [11,12]. Infrared analysis usually suffices for identification of the plastic material provided absence of complications by interferences from heavy loadings of additives, such as pigments or fillers. As additives can impede the unambiguous assignment of a plastic, it is frequently necessary to separate the plastic from the additives. For example, heavily plasticised PVC may contain up to 60% of a plasticiser, which needs to be removed prior to attempted identification of the polymer. Also an ester plasticiser contained in a nitrile rubber may obscure identification of the polymer. Because typical rubber compounds only contain some 50% polymer direct FUR analysis rarely provides a definitive answer. It is usually necessary first... 

Conventional rubber compound analysis requires several instrumental techniques, in addition to considerable pretreatment of the sample to isolate classes of components, before these selected tests can be definitive. Table 2.5 lists some general analytical tools. Spectroscopic methods such as FTIR and NMR often encounter difficulties in the analysis of vulcanised rubbers since they are insoluble and usually contain many kinds of additives such as a curing agent, plasticisers, stabilisers and fillers. Pyrolysis is advantageous for the practical analysis of insoluble polymeric materials. 

Plasticiser/oil in rubber is usually determined by solvent extraction (ISO 1407) and FTIR identification [57] TGA can usually provide good quantifications of plasticiser contents. Antidegradants in rubber compounds may be determined by HS-GC-MS for volatile species (e.g. BHT, IPPD), but usually solvent extraction is required, followed by GC-MS, HPLC, UV or DP-MS analysis. Since cross-linked rubbers are insoluble, more complex extraction procedures must be carried out. The determination of antioxidants in rubbers by means of HPLC and TLC has been reviewed [58], The TLC technique for antidegradants in rubbers is described in ASTM D 3156 and ISO 4645.2 (1984). Direct probe EIMS was also used to analyse antioxidants (hindered phenols and aromatic amines) in rubber extracts [59]. ISO 11089 (1997) deals with the determination of /V-phenyl-/9-naphthylamine and poly-2,2,4-trimethyl-1,2-dihydroquinoline (TMDQ) as well as other generic types of antiozonants such as IV-alkyl-AL-phenyl-p-phenylenediamines (e.g. IPPD and 6PPD) and A-aryl-AL-aryl-p-phenylenediamines (e.g. DPPD), by means of HPLC. 

It is of interest to examine the development of the analytical toolbox for rubber deformulation over the last two decades and the role of emerging technologies (Table 2.9). Bayer technology (1981) for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of rubbers and elastomers consisted of a multitechnique approach comprising extraction (Soxhlet, DIN 53 553), wet chemistry (colour reactions, photometry), electrochemistry (polarography, conductometry), various forms of chromatography (PC, GC, off-line PyGC, TLC), spectroscopy (UV, IR, off-line PylR), and microscopy (OM, SEM, TEM, fluorescence) [10]. Reported applications concerned the identification of plasticisers, fatty acids, stabilisers, antioxidants, vulcanisation accelerators, free/total/bound sulfur, minerals and CB. Monsanto (1983) used direct-probe MS for in situ quantitative analysis of additives and rubber and made use of 31P NMR [69]. 

Contaminated solvents and glassware are a very well known problem in analysis involving extraction. The major problem in the use of solvents is contamination with plasticisers, especially DEHP. After sample extraction usually enrichment of the analytes is required prior to the analysis. 

Brandt [200] has extracted tri(nonylphenyl) phosphite (TNPP) from a styrene-butadiene polymer using iso-octane. Brown [211] has reported US extraction of acrylic acid monomer from polyacrylates. Ultrasonication was also shown to be a fast and efficient extraction method for organophosphate ester flame retardants and plasticisers [212]. Greenpeace [213] has recently reported the concentration of phthalate esters in 72 toys (mostly made in China) using shaking and sonication extraction methods. Extraction and analytical procedures were carefully quality controlled. QC procedures and acceptance criteria were based on USEPA method 606 for the analysis of phthalates in water samples [214]. Extraction efficiency was tested by spiking blank matrix and by standard addition to phthalate-containing samples. For removal of fatty acids from the surface of EVA pellets a lmin ultrasonic bath treatment in isopropanol is sufficient [215]. It has been noticed that the experimental ultrasonic extraction conditions are often ill defined and do not allow independent verification. 

Some typical applications in SFE of polymer/additive analysis are illustrated below. Hunt et al. [333] found that supercritical extraction of DIOP and Topanol CA from ground PVC increased with temperature up to 90 °C at 45 MPa, then levelled off, presumably as solubility became the limiting factor. The extraction of DOP and DBP plasticisers from PVC by scC02 at 52 MPa increased from 50 to 80 °C, when extraction was almost complete in 25 min [336]. At 70 °C the amount extracted increased from 79 to 95 % for pressures from 22 to 60 MPa. SFE has the potential to shorten extraction times for traces (<20ppm) of additives (DBP and DOP) in flexible PVC formulations with similar or even better extraction efficiencies compared with traditional LSE techniques [384]. Marin et al. [336] have used off-line SFE-GC to determine the detection limits for DBP and DOP in flexible PVC. The method developed was compared with Soxhlet liquid extraction. At such low additive concentrations a maximum efficiency in the extractive process and an adequate separative system are needed to avoid interferences with other components that are present at high concentrations in the PVC formulations, such as DINP. Results obtained... 

Gas chromatography is widely applied in the paint and varnish industry for analysis of solvents, oils, resins, plasticisers and polymers (by pyrolysis techniques). GC-TCD and GC-FTD on capillary and packed columns are used for direct determination of solvents in paints [143,144], DIN ISO 11890-2 describes an officially approved GC test procedure for solvents in paints and varnishes (VOCs 0.1-15%). 

The main features of PC are low cost, need for small sample amount, high level of resolution, ease of detection and quantitation, simplicity of apparatus and use, difficult reproducibility (because of variation in fibres) and susceptibility to chemical attack. Identification of the separated components is facilitated by the reproducible Rj values. Detection methods in PC have been reviewed [368]. Fluorescence has been used for many years as a means of locating the components of a mixture separated by PC or TLC. However, also ATR-IR and SERS are useful. Preparative PC is unsuitable for trace analysis because filter paper inevitably contains contaminants (e.g. phthalate esters, plasticisers) [369]. For that purpose an acceptable substitute is glass-fibre paper [28]. 

Cyclic oligomers of PA6 can be separated by PC [385,386] also PET and linear PET oligomers were separated by this technique [387]. Similarly, PC has been used for the determination of PEGs, but was limited by its insensitivity and low repeatability [388]. PC was also used in the determination of Cd, Pb and Zn salts of fatty acids [389]. ATR-IR has been used to identify the plasticisers DEHP and TEHTM separated by PC [390]. Although this combined method is inferior in sensitivity and resolution to modem hyphenated separation systems it is simple, cheap and suitable for routine analysis of components like polymer additives. However, the applicability of ATR-IR for in situ identification of components separated by PC is severely restricted by background interference. 

Applications Conventional TLC was the most successful separation technique in the 1960s and early 1970s for identification of components in plastics. Amos [409] has published a comprehensive review on the use of TLC for various additive types (antioxidants, stabilisers, plasticisers, curing agents, antistatic agents, peroxides) in polymers and rubber vulcanisates (1973 status). More recently, Freitag [429] has reviewed TLC applications in additive analysis. TLC has been extensively applied to the determination of additives in polymer extracts [444,445]. 

Applications Open-column chromatography was used for polymer/additive analysis mainly in the 1950-1970 period (cf. Vimalasiri et al. [160]). Examples are the application of CC to styrene-butadiene copoly-mer/(additives, low-MW compounds) [530] and rubbers accelerators, antioxidants) [531]. Column chromatography of nine plasticisers in PVC with various elution solvents has been reported [44], as well as the separation of CHCI3 solvent extracts of PE/(BHT, Santonox R) on an alumina column [532]. Similarly, Santonox R and Ionol CP were easily separated using benzene and Topanol CA and dilaurylthiodipropionate using cyclohexane ethyl acetate (9 1 v/v) [533]. CC on neutral alumina has been used for the separation of antioxidants, accelerators and plasticisers in rubber extracts [534]. Column chromatography of polymer additives has been reviewed [160,375,376]. 

Aromatic amines formed from the reduction of azo colorants in toy products were analysed by means of HPLC-PDA [703], Drews et al. [704] have applied HPLC/ELSD and UV/VIS detection for quantifying SFE and ASE extracts of butyl stearate finish on various commercial yarns. From the calibrated ELSD response the total extract (finish and polyester trimer) is obtained and from the UV/VIS response the trimer only. Representative SFE-ELSD/UV finish analysis data compare satisfactorily to their corresponding SFE gravimetric weight recovery results. GC, HPLC and SEC are also used for characterisation of low-MW compounds (e.g. curing agents, plasticisers, by-products of curing reactions) in epoxy resin adhesives. 

As the majority of stabilisers has the structure of aromatics, which are UV-active and show a distinct UV spectrum, UV spectrophotometry is a very efficient analytical method for qualitative and quantitative analysis of stabilisers and similar substances in polymers. For UV absorbers, UV detection (before and after chromatographic separation) is an appropriate analytical tool. Haslam et al. [30] have used UV spectroscopy for the quantitative determination of UVAs (methyl salicylate, phenyl salicylate, DHB, stilbene and resorcinol monobenzoate) and plasticisers (DBP) in PMMA and methyl methacrylate-ethyl acrylate copolymers. From the intensity ratio... 

In conclusion, IR analysis of polymer/additive extracts before chromatographic separation takes advantage mainly of straightforward transmission measurements. Without separation it is often possible to make class assignments (e.g. in the reported examples on plasticisers and carbodiimide hydrolysis stabilisers) it may eventually be necessary to use multivariate techniques. Infrared detection of chromatographic effluents is dealt with in Chapter 7. 

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