This handbook provides a detailed reference for the analysis of the additives that are most widely used in plastics and polymers. Its unique combination of comprehensive chromatograms, mass spectral data, and analytical data — in addition to environmental perspectives and regulations issued by the FDA, USEPA, EU agencies, and other groups — facilitates the analyst's ability to extract, identify, and quantify additives in finished goods using common and readily available laboratory techniques. This is an ideal reference for monitoring plastics for regulatory or internal compliance, as well as for analyzing, troubleshooting, developing, or improving upon application-specific compounding practices.

From the Preface: “...This handbook's primary aim is to provide the tools to help a bench chemist to obtain a more complete listing of additives present in a particular matrix....We provide information on analyzing polymers through thermal desorption, and the use of GC with a mass selective detector (MSD). Many compounds break apart either during extraction or analysis, so identification by key fragments, and typical moieties for the final compound is critical. The use of the GC/MS system allows the analyst to characterize a compound based on the utilization of these fragments or moieties...”

Target Audience: Analysts, scientists and researchers in the food, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, chemical, polymer and plastic, petroleum, and medical device industries.

Table of Contents:

Overview of Polymers, Additives, and Processing

Extraction and Analysis

Accelerators

Antidegradants

Antioxidants

Coupling Agents

Flame Retarders

Plasticizers

Other Compounds of Interest

Real World Problems Related to Additives

Appendix A: Chromatograms

Appendix B: Definitions and Abbreviations

Index