A common QC test in plastic production is the analysis of residual monomers in the final polymer material. This analysis is well suited for headspace sampling because headspace eliminates the sample preparation. The sample is analyzed directly with no need to dissolve the polymer.
Multiple headspace extraction (MHE) is a technique to exhaustively extract a sample and calculate the amount of analyte by comparison to an external standard. This application note will discuss the testing of polymers for residual monomers by MHE-GC/MS. The polymers tested in this application are used for the manufacturing of corrective eyeglass lenses. This material is monitored for acrylic acids, such as methylmethacrylic acid methyl ester (MMA).