Specifications, for colorants

Color Coding. New machinery and equipment must conform to OSHA standards and OEM specifications for color coding. Color coding can also help to speed up maintenance procedures. Examples include lubrication information, orientation, timing marks, torque requirements, etc. 

A high quahty version of a dye-sublimation printer has been developed specifically for color proofing. This device uses a laser writing head, rather than the typical thermal printhead, to produce higher resolution images. The device is capable of tme halftones, providing an accurate rendition of a printed page. It is, however, expensive both in equipment and materials cost. 

The purity criteria specifications for colorants approved for use in Europe are laid down in European Directive 95/45/EC. Each colorant defined by an EEC number has a monograph listing the required... 

Table 1—Specifications for Color Tolerance Charts for Use With Labels and Placards Surfaced With Paint, Lacquer, Enamel, Plastic, Other Opaque Coatings, or Ink ...

Table 3—Specification for Colors for Use With Labels Printed on Packagings...

Depending on the type and quantity of a shipment, placarding completes the identification process. Larger than labels, placards measure 10%"x lOW but retain a similar square-on-point design. Placards deal with a specific hazard class of materials. DOT requires stria specifications for color, size and wording, and placement on a shipping vehicle (49 CFR 172.500.172.560). 

ASTM Standard D6864 (2011) Standard Specification for Color and Appearance Retention of Solid Colored Plastic Siding Products. ASTM International, West Conshohocken, PA. doi 10.1520/D6864-ll, www.astm.org... 

FDA Quality Standards. Although standards for many dmgs and biologicals are included in the USP—NF, and for many food additives in the FCC, the FDA also estabhshes some specifications of its own. In the dmg field, specifications and testing methods for antibiotics and biologicals are set by the FDA. Also, specifications and testing methods are prescribed for colorants. Many food-additive petitions are granted with the requirement that certain specifications are met. 

Lead acetate can be used only for coloring scalp hair at a level not to exceed 0.6%, as lead, weight/volume of the product. The regulations provide specific restrictions (including label specifications) that lead acetate must not be used to color mustaches, eyelashes, eyebrows, or hair on parts of the body other than the scalp. 

Specifications and Standards. Typical specifications for phthahc anhydride are given in Table 10. AH specifications are measures of purity. Sohdification point is a sensitive indicator of absolute purity, and is a key specification. Another key specification is molten color stabiUty, which is the color after being held at 250°C for two hours. This test ensures acceptable color after shipment in molten form and detects the presence of impurities that can cause discoloration at elevated temperatures. Phthahc acid level is a monitor of how well moisture has been excluded during storage and shipment. 

Testing of phthalocyanines includes crystallization (qv), flocculation, and appHcation in paints, plastics (qv), and printing inks (1). The ASTM standard specifications include CuPc in dry powder form for various appHcations (153). The specifications cover color (qv), character or tint, oil absorption, reactions in identification tests, and dispersions and storage stabiUty. Quantitative deterrninations are possible with ceric sulfate (30) or sodium vanadate (154). Identification methods are given (155), including tests for different appHcations. 

The color of TSR L is measured with a Lovibond Comparator using methods outlined in the relevant International Standard (16). Raw mbber is molded into a disk 1.6 mm thick, and the color is compared and matched with that of standard glass disks. These glass disks provide a color index scale in which the higher index values correspond to darker colors. Generally the specification for TSR L is a maximum Lovibond individual value of 6 and range... 

Specifications vary with use. The paper and detergent industries are concerned with whiteness and specify various methods to describe color and black or dark specks. It is also important in the detergent industry that sodium sulfate has a particle size and density compatible with other components in the blend to eliminate segregation when it is handled. A typical specification for detergent-grade sodium sulfate is given in Table 5. 

Various methods can be used to analy2e succinic acid and succinic anhydride, depending on the characteristics of the material. Methods generally used to control specifications of pure products include acidimetric titration for total acidity or purity comparison with Pt—Co standard calibrated solutions for color oxidation with potassium permanganate for unsaturated compounds subtracting from the total acidity the anhydride content measured by titration with morpholine for content of free acid in the anhydride atomic absorption or plasma spectroscopy for metals titration with AgNO or BaCl2 for chlorides and sulfates, respectively and comparison of the color of the sulfide solution of the metals with that of a solution with a known Pb content for heavy metals. 

---