Robert L. White
Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry
University of Oklahoma
"New Options for Thermal Analyses"
Abstract:
Thermal analysis techniques have been around for quite some time. These methods commonly involve measuring a physical or chemical property of a substance while it is being heated. The most popular thermal analysis techniques are based on bulk property measurements, such as weight loss (thermogravimetry) or heat conduction (calorimetry). However, the utility of thermal analysis methods can be greatly expanded by employing chemical structure-specific rather than bulk-property measurements. Two structure-specific detection methods that are compatible with thermal analysis are infrared spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. By employing diffuse reflection infrared spectroscopy, solid-state changes can be monitored while samples are heated. Mass spectrometry can be employed for analysis of volatiles generated by thermal desorption or decomposition processes. When complex volatile mixtures are produced, rapid GC/MS analysis can be used to simultaneously monitor concentration changes for different species as a function of time or temperature. By including infrared spectroscopy and mass spectrometry detectors in thermal analysis methodologies, the information content generated during a single assay can be substantially increased, yielding much greater insight into the chemical processes that occur during sample heating.
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