Pyrolysis-GC characterization of organic

Davies, N., Hill, W., and Kuckuk, R. (2002). Structural characterization of refractory organic substances by means of pyrolysis-GC/FTIR. In Refractory Organic Substances (ROS) in the Environment, Frimmel, F. H., Abbt-Braun, G, Heumann, K. G, Hock, B., Ltidemann, H.-D., and Spiteller, M., eds., Wiley-VCH, Weinheim, pp. 232-238. 

This book has two main parts, and the material is organized in chapters and sections. The first part of the book has five chapters including an introduction, a discussion on physico-chemistry of thermal degradation of synthetic polymers, a short discussion on instrumentation used in analytical pyrolysis, a chapter discussing what type of information can be obtained from analytical pyrolysis, and a chapter dedicated to the applications of analytical pyrolysis for the analysis and characterization of synthetic polymers. The chapter on applications includes only a few selected examples from the multitude existent in literature, and it is not intended to be exhaustive. Excellent monographs, such as F. W. Billmeyer Jr., Textbook of Polymer Science, J. Wiley, New York, 1971 H. FI. G. Jellinek, ed.. Aspects of Degradation and Stabilization of Polymers. Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1980 S. A. Liebman, E. J. Levy, ed. Pyrolysis and GC in Polymer Analysis. M. Dekker, New York, 1985 and T. P. Wampler, ed., Applied Pyrolysis... 

Hempfling, R. and Schulten, H.-R., Chemical characterization of the organic matter in forest soils hy Curie point pyrolysis-GC/MS and pyrolysis-field ionization MS, Org. Geochem., 15,131-145,1990. 

A report from a forensic science laboratory in 1989 described a technique to pyrolyze synthetic polymer samples and simultaneously chemically derivatize (methylate) the pyrolysis products prior to analysis by capillary GC and GC/MS, a technique that was referred to as simultaneous pyrolysis methylation-capillary gas chromatography (SPM-GC) and SPM-GC/MS. The methylation is caused to take place in situ by the simple expedient of adding a few microliters of methanol containing tetramethyl ammonium hydroxide (TMAH) to the sample in the sample holder of the pyrolysis device. When applied to sediment samples for characterization of the organic matter, this technique is referred to as TMAH-Py-GC/MS. The methylation procedure quite likely allows measurement of many compounds that otherwise would pass undetected. Table 7.8 shows a list of compounds that were identified in programs of river and lake sediments subjected to analysis by TMAH-Py-GC/MS. ... 

Characterization of Condensation Polymers by Pyrolysis-GC in the Presence of Organic Alkali... 

Pyrolysis/GC is used extensively in the analysis of polymers, paints, textile fibers, and even whole microorganisms. Certain materials of forensic interest have been characterized by this approach. A unique pyrolysis/GC system was aboard the Viking 1975 Mission spacecraft to investigate the possible occurrence of organic compounds in the martian soil. 

The more advanced instrumental methods of analysis, including GC, for the detection and identification of expls are presented (Ref 90) Pyrolysis of expls in tandem with GC/MS was used for the identification of contaminant expls in the environment (Ref 108). Isomer vapor impurities of TNT were characterized by GC-electron capture detector and mass spectrometry (Ref 61). Volatile impurities in TNT and Comp B were analyzed using a GC/MS the GC was equipped with electron capture and flame ionization detectors (Ref 79). The vapors evolved from mines, TNT, acetone, toluene, cyclohexanone and an organosilicon, were analyzed by GC/MS (Ref 78). Red water produced by the sellite purification of crude TNT was analyzed by GC/MS for potentially useful organic compds, 2,4-dinitrotoluene, 3- and 4-sulfonic acids (Ref 124). Various reports were surveyed to determine which methods, including GC/MS, are potential candidates for detection of traces of TNT vapors emitted from land mines factors influencing transportability of TNT vapors thru soil to soil/air interface are dis-... 

Vacuum Pyrolysis. Fukushima (1982) applied vacuum pyrolysis at 500°C to characterize lake humic acid and humin and analyzed organic-solvent-soluble pyrolysates by GC-MS. The results showed that normal alkanes (C -C32) and normal alkenes (C14-C28) were present in the pyrolysates although their amounts were extremely small (0.001% of the initial weight for humic acid and 0.003% for humin). 

However, the applicability of GC (GC/MS) combined with pyrolysis, Py-GC (Py-GC/MS) ranges the entire area of the organic substances if they could yield fragment by thermal energy or chemically assisted thermolysis. Thus, the modem Py-GC (Py-GC/ MS) is on the new horizon for the polymer characterization including intractable materials by conventional methodologies. 

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