IDENTIFICATION OF RUBBER ADDITIVES BY FIELD DESORPTION AND FAST ATOM BOMBARDMENT MASS-SPECTROSCOPY

The chemical identification of organic additives in rubbers is most often accomplished by infrared spectroscopy (IR). Infrared has the advantages that it is rapid, relatively inexpensive, and capable of identifying a wide variety of additive types. FD-MS and FAB-MS can be used effectively for the identification of organic additives in rubbers. Both techniques can be performed quite rapidly, in 5 to 10 min. These techniques provide a nice complement to infrared analysis of compounding additives. The unique capabilities of FD-MS and FAB-MS for providing rapid molecular weight data for compounding ingredients provide a powerful analytical tool for the polymer chemist.