An interface and gas chromatograph oven are described that couple a thermogravimetric analyzer with a mass spectrometer and permit multiple capillary gas chromatographic separations of volatile thermal decomposition products generated during a single thermogravimetric analysis. Examples of the use of this apparatus for identifying the volatile products generated during poly(vinyl butyral) thermal decomposition in the presence of γ-alumina and catalytic cracking of poly(styrene) and poly(ethylene) are described. TG-GC/MS analyses employing isothermal, temperature programmed, and subambient temperature ramp gas chromatography separations are described. The apparatus permits repetitive temperature-programmed capillary gas chromatographic analyses of thermogravimetric effluent containing more than 25 constituents in 3-min intervals.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.