Differential Scanning Calorimetry to Measure the Purity of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons

The DSC method of purity determination is well described in literature and it found application among others in analysis of pure organic crystalline compounds. The aim of this work is to show under which conditions the purity of near-pure PAHs estimated with the DSC purity method are accurate. The results of our investigation on 34 PAH certified reference matierals show that the DSC results are consistent with results obtained by other methods assessing the organic impurities in PAHs, like GC, HPLC and TLC. In some cases differences between measured and certified values were observed. The release of volatile impurities prior to melting of the main compound is suggested as a possible explanation for this observation. The results indicate that this problem is of importance only for PAHs woth an elevated melting temperature (Tm > 215 °C).

DROZDZEWSKA Katarzyna;  KESTENS Vikram;  HELD Andrea;  ROEBBEN Gert;  LINSINGER Thomas; 

2007-06-20

SPRINGER

JRC34317