Expert knowledge and state-of-the-art instrumentation to support your business – Corporate Analytics offers a wide range of chemical and physical investigations, from raw materials to final products.
Corporate Analytics
Corporate Analytics Topics
- Structural Determinations and Substance Identification
- Ultra Trace Analysis
- Product Analysis
- Surface Analysis and Application Support
- Food Safety and Certification
- Safety Technology and Thermal Analysis
- Registration of Chemical Substances and Products
- Quality Control
- Site Services
For structural assignment of organic substances, all modern methods of molecular spectroscopy are available. Not only 1H and 13C nuclei, but also several heteroatoms such as 31P, 29Si, 19F and 15N can be investigated via nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR, up to 600 MHz), either in one-dimensional (1D) or two-dimensional (2D) experiments.
Several other methods give complementary information to NMR data, such as infrared spectroscopy (IR) in different modes (attenuated total reflection = ATR, microscopy, imaging/mapping) or mass spectrometry (MS), the latter mostly attached to a liquid or gas chromatographic separation system.
Depending on the complexity of the products to be analyzed, either the original substance or derived fractions are investigated during the study. Identification is achieved via comprehensive spectral data bases or via interpretation of all different data sources available: any structural suggestion needs to be supported by all the acquired information unequivocally.
Corporate Analytics offers all methodologies for ultra trace analysis of organic and inorganic compounds in the lower ppb range and beyond.
For inorganic substances, ICP instruments with OES or MS detection enable sensitive and selective elemental screenings, either directly from the provided test solutions or – following sample preparation – from the digested sample material. Various digestion procedures (e.g., acid treatment, high pressure ashing, microwave treatment) are available.
Complex organic mixtures are typically separated using HPLC or GC systems. After that, the individual compounds are transferred into highly specific and sensitive mass spectrometric (MS) detectors. Whereas single-quadrupole mass spectrometers are the method-of-choice for timely and efficient analysis, more sophisticated triple-quadrupole and time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometers enable quantifications in the sub-ppb range as well as high-resolution mass (HR-MS) determination.
Special attention has to be paid to volatile organic compounds (VOC): via GC-MS the emission of small organic molecules during product application can be monitored, e.g., for automotive or aviation industry.
Laundry detergents, cosmetics and chemical-technical products have become increasingly complex formulations.
Starting from general parameters like wet-chemical numbers, pH or CHN values, subsequent fractionation via extraction or ion exchange results in the breakdown of the used raw materials. The isolated fractions can be characterized by suitable chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques, resulting in a balance sheet of ingredients.
Besides chemical composition, further investigations may be required depending on the product type. For example, enzyme identity and enzyme activity are important parameters for premium laundry products.
Quick troubleshooting is required, whenever products deviate from their specification or from their expected appearance. The list of possible deviations is long, such as discoloration, malodor, precipitation of ingredients or phase separation, just to name a few.
In some cases, these deviations can only be recognized in the application phase, which might adversely affect product performance and makes quick problem solving even more important.
The analytical methods of choice are as diverse as the problems to be tackled. Failures in surface treatment call for microscopic techniques like XPS, SEM/TEM, EDX, AFM, GD-OES or IR microscopy, giving valuable insight into oxidation state, elemental composition, morphology or organic impurities of the investigated material.
Deviations in product appearance might initiate a sequence of wet-chemical or chromatographic sample preparation steps: isolated particles or extracted discolored fractions may further be investigated and identified via IR, NMR or MS.
Food Contact Materials (FCMs) are all materials and articles intended to come into contact with food, e.g. packaging material or food processing machinery. FCMs may transfer their constituents onto the food, a process called migration.
To assess the transfer of substances onto food, migration is simulated in accelerated migration tests. For identification and quantification of migrating compounds a variety of analytical techniques is used. Besides screening procedures, also different specific methods like chromatography as well as spectroscopic methods are applied.
Following analytical testing, a Food Contact Certificate may demonstrate compliance with European and international food law, demonstrating consumer safety.
Further sensitive applications can be tested in the same way. Typical applications include medical products or products intended for skin contact.
The safe use of hazardous substances is directly linked to fundamental knowledge about their physical and chemical properties. Knowing the hazardous potential is key to the definition of adequate safety measures when handling those substances in every step in the product life cycle. Depending on the substance and handling step it could be necessary to do characterizations of dust fires and explosions, to measure the hazard potential of chemical reactions, do tests concerning the transport classification (e.g. ADR, RID), generate data for SDS or product registration, or run tests regarding the burning behavior, just to name a few.
Using thermal analytical methods such as Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), Thermo-Gravimetric Analysis (TGA) and Dynamic-Mechanical Analysis (DMA), substances and products can be characterized in terms of melting, boiling, evaporation, curing, decomposition and elastic and plastic behavior also. With the help of rheology, statements can be made about the flow behavior as a function of temperature, shear rate and other parameters. All this is essential for the manufacture, modification and use of materials as well as production parameters.
If required, internationally recognized quality standards like Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) or DIN EN ISO 17025 are applied. Thus, the study results of Corporate Analytics are valid for global product registration processes, e.g. REACH.
Registration of chemical substances on regional or global level is a well-defined process (e.g. REACH legislation in the European Union), which enables the manufacturers to lawfully place their products on the respective market.
Besides general registration of chemicals, specific legislation is applicable to certain product categories (e.g. biocides) that call for specific test protocols (e.g. 5-batch analysis, SANCO/3030/99), adequate method development and reliable method validation.
A comprehensive data set has to be generated for each substance to be registered. Starting with investigations on identity and purity, a whole set of spectroscopic and chromatographic techniques is needed to acquire and to confirm compositional information.
Further substance specific properties like melting point, water solubility, surface tension or partition coefficient are determined following standardized OECD test guidelines.
If required, internationally recognized quality standards like Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) or DIN EN ISO 17025 are applied. Thus, the study results of Corporate Analytics are valid for global product registration processes, e.g. REACH.
Basically, all methodologies used for R&D support, product analysis or failure analysis can also be applied to establish a meaningful set of QC methods.
Wet-chemical values obtained by titration, such as acid values, OH values or amine values, and further sum parameters like water content according to Karl Fischer (KF) or nitrogen numbers (Kjeldahl) are suitable reference parameters.
Thin layer chromatography (TLC) is a powerful tool to obtain a quick overview of the raw materials used in a formulation. Residual amounts of monomers or other small molecules like e.g. preservatives or volatile organic compounds (VOC) can be monitored effectively with suitable liquid or gas chromatographic techniques.
Gel permeation chromatography (GPC) is the method of choice whenever the molecular weight distribution of (pre-)polymers and oligomers needs to be checked or fractions need to be quantified.
Quality control (QC) is an integral part of production processes, ensuring the product to meet the required specifications. Corporate Analytics is available to support with measurements or method developments.
Control of Measuring Equipment
Quality relevant lab instruments for testing - like analytical balances, pipettes or thermometers - need to be controlled regularly to comply with applicable quality standards (e.g. DIN EN ISO / IEC 17025).
Corporate Analytics ensures retraceability of the test equipment to national reference standards, fulfilling the requirements for lab accreditation or lab certification. Additional support can be provided to the users, such as documentation, training and audit preparation.
Sound and Vibration Surveillance
Production processes and logistics are a potential source of harmful noise and vibration events, impacting safety and health of employees and environment.
Corporate Analytics is monitoring sound emissions at the Düsseldorf site from the premises and is maintaining noise cadasters. Noise areas and noise control levels for plant staff are evaluated and documented, giving advice and support how to establish noise reduction programs.
