Chemical Analysis
Consumer Products, Advanced Materials, Medical Devices, Adhesives
MAS provides several options for destructive and non-destructive testing for a number of compounds including phthalates, flame retardants, fungicides, BPA, lead, cadmium, chromium, mercury, other heavy metals, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. We are approved by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) as a certified laboratory to assist manufacturers, importers, distributors and retailers to meet Consumer Products Safety Information Act (CPSIA) obligations. We analyze products, dust, wipes, and air samples from a variety of consumer products, including children’s toys, for these components.
We characterize properties of solids, liquids, powders, adhesives and compare those properties to libraries, standards, or other samples. In many cases, samples can be compared to each other, to standards, and to libraries and are also assessed for comparison to known compound signatures. They can be used for presence/absence determinations as well. Several Chemical Analysis Techniques MAS utilizes are described here.
Inductively Coupled Plasma/Optical Emissions Spectroscopy
Samples are introduced into the plasma via spray chamber where larger droplets are removed from the sample optimizing stability and efficiency.
Many chemical elements are ionized and evaluated using the ICP. ICP-OES can also be used as a screening tool. ppb level quantification of metals, including heavy metals such as Pb, Cd, Cr, Hg, and Sn can be achieved. ICP-OES is synonymous with ICP/AES (Inductively Coupled Plasma/Analytical Emission Spectroscopy).

Gas Chromatography with Mass Spectrometry - Pyrolysis
When a sample is analyzed by pyrolysis, it is placed in a quartz tube and heated in the GC between 80 to 1000 Celsius. The sample is heated to thermal decomposition allowing the sample break down into smaller molecules by gas chromatography and then detected using mass spectrometry.
Pyrolysis is useful to identify components in materials even at trace levels. Pyrolysis requires a small amount of sample and very little preparation, so it is ideal for materials that are difficult to analyze using traditional GC-MS methods. Pyrolysis GC/MS can also serve as a screening tool programmable from 300 to 700 degrees with various hold times.

Headspace Gas Chromatography with Mass Spectrometry
The addition of Headspace to GC/MS allows for volatile and semi-volatile organics in various matrices to be analyzed by the GC/MS. Solids or liquids, adhesives, powders, and samples that do not dissolve easily are examples of ideal samples for Headspace GC/MS analysis.

Ion Chromatography
This solution of separated ions and eluent is passed through a detector where the conductivity of the mobile phase is measured to determine the quantity of ions. Each ion exits the column within a specific time frame (retention time) and is measured by plotting concentration vs time. The IC technique is useful for presence/absence of anions/cations, sulfates, nitrates, ammonium, and magnesium.

X-Ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy
Handheld XRF’s are calibrated to analyze consumer goods for specific compounds related to RoHS requirements, but they are also a valuable non-destructive screening tool for various metals.
Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy
High Performance Liquid Chromatography - UV/Vis, Fluorescence Detectors
Retention time may vary due to conditions such as pressure or flow rate, solvent, temperature of column, and the type of column used in analysis. These conditions are important when using retention time to identify components within a sample. Once the components of the sample are separated and leave the column the compounds are detected.
The HPLC’s UV-Vis detector measures the absorption of a sample in the ultraviolent-visible spectrum at various wavelengths to identify analytes. Fluorescence detectors are more sensitive and selective, exciting a specific molecule. The emitted wavelength is a property characteristic of a specific compound.

Differential Scanning Calorimetry
Liquid Chromatography with Mass Spectrometry
UV/Vis Spectrometry:

pH Measurements

Microwave Digestion (Prep Technique)

Accelerated Solvent Extractor (Prep Technique)
