Detection of Dimethylformamide in Coatings Using TGA-GC/MS

Dimethylformamide is a high boiling point liquid that is used as a solvent for organic compounds, for chemical reactions and in the production of polymer fibers, films or coatings. It has a harmful vapor and is irritating to the skin, eyes and respiratory system. In this article, we show how low concentrations of DMF can be determined by TGA-GC/MS.

Introduction

Dimethylformamide (DMF) is a solvent that is miscible with water and with most organic liquids. It is used as a solvent in the manufacture of textile fibers (acrylic fibers) or coatings. Its vapor is harmful and irritates the skin, eyes and respiratory system. The question is what concentrations of DMF can be detected in products and quantified.

In this article, we show how this can be done using a powder coating as an example.

Experimental details

The measurements were performed using a TGA/DSC 3+ coupled to an SRA Instruments IST16 storage interface and an Agilent (7890 GC with 5975C MSD) GC/MS.

A trial experiment was carried out using a TGA/DSC 3+ coupled to a Pfeiffer Thermostar MS GSD 320. The measurements were performed with sample masses of about 100 mg in 150-μL aluminum oxide crucibles and a nitrogen flow rate of 60 mL/min.

^{Detection of dimethylformamide in coatings using TGA-GC/MS | Thermal Analysis Application No. UC 475 | Application published in METTLER TOLEDO Thermal Analysis UserCom 47}