Home >> Science & Nature >> Science

How to Test Butyl Acrylate in the Air

Butyl acrylate is an organic solvent that is a clear and colorless liquid. It has a fruity odor that is characteristic of the organic compound. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) limits the permissible exposure of butyl acrylate in air to only 10 ppm, or parts per million (this equates to 10 milligrams butyl acrylate per liter of air) concentration.

Things You'll Need

Glass sampling tubes with activated carbon adsorbent
4-tert-butylcatechol (TBC)
Carbon disulfide
10-ml pipets
Gas chromatograph (GC) with flame ionizing detector

Instructions

- 1
  Coat the activated carbon within the sampling tube with 4-tert-butylcatechol. Use the 10-ml pipet to apply 5 ml into the sampling tube.
- 2
  Pull a volume of air to be tested into the glass sampling tube that has just been coated with TBC. The butylcatechol absorbs any butyl acrylate in the activated carbon matrix.
- 3
  Apply 5 ml of carbon disulfide into the sampling tube using the pipet and immediately inject the air sample into the gas chromatograph. The carbon disulfide will desorb the butyl acrylate. There will be a small inlet port on top of the gas chromatograph.
- 4
  Start the GC machine. The GC will report butyl acrylate concentrations in a ppm.
  Once results are provided, repeat the procedures two more times and take an average (add all three results together and divide by three).

Science