Introduction Polymer manufacturers rely on their analytical and quality control services for the characterization of their raw materials. One aspect of polymer analysis is the qualification and quantification of polymer additives such as Irganox 1010.1 The use of legacy methods and instrumentation for analysis can lead to long analysis times and tell only part of the story. However, transferring legacy high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) methods to an ultra high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC), with photodiode array (PDA) and added mass detection can provide the information in shorter time frames with an assigned mass to charge ratio (m/z) for unique peak and impurity identification.2 The addition of mass detection can identify Irganox 1010 and unknown impurity peaks in order to see subtle changes that may affect product quality: enabling accurate monitoring of process control parameters. Methods For the HPLC and UPLC sample analysis, polymer additives were dissolved in isopropanol. A mobile phase consisting of 2mM ammonium formate in water [A] and in acetonitrile [B] was used with a phenyl column, 4.6 x 150 mm, 5.0 µm (HPLC) and 4.6 x 75 mm, 2.5 µm (UHPLC). The column temperature was maintained at 40 °C. PDA and mass detection were used. Results Assigning a mass to charge ratio in an ultra chromatographic separation can help confirm impurities in raw materials in a timely manner when UHPLC, mass detection and PDA are combined. The mass detector brings confidence to peak identity unavailable through PDA alone, and enables the QC chromatographer to reduce ambiguity with access to identity information while reducing further testing. Novel Aspect Mass detection does not need to be only for mass spec experts. It is a self calibrating tool with default settings that can support improved confidence in detection of qualitative and quantitative analysis. When combined with a UHPLC separation, mass detection impurity analysis for polymer raw materials can be quickly established and maintained.

Comparison of HPLC and UHPLC analysis of polymer additives with PDA and mass detection

254th National Meeting (2017)

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