Abstract
Abstract The determination of residual styrene in polystyrene food packaging polymers by a reverse phase liquid chromatographic method is described. The polymer is dissolved in tetrahydrofuran and then reprecipitated with methanol. The filtered solution is chromatographed by using an aqueous tetrahydrofuran mobile phase, and the styrene is detected and quantitated by ultraviolet at 254 nm. The detection limit for the method is about 0.5 ppm styrene on a solution basis and 20 ppm in the polymer. The average recovery of styrene from spiked polymer (about 50–3700 ppm) is 88%. Apparent residual styrene was determined in several commercial products, including rigid polystyrene cups, flexible plastic containers, and several foam products. The monomer levels ranged from about 60 to 2250 ppm.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
