Scope: 

The ASTM D6142 is a standard test technique for capillary gas chromatography analysis of phenol. This test method can be used to create phenol requirements and as an internal quality control tool in situations where phenol is manufactured or used in a manufacturing process and can also be employed in phenol-related development or research. It’s widely used to identify contaminants like mesityl oxide, cumene, hydroxy-acetone, acetone, alpha-methylstyrene, 2-methylbenzofuran, acetophenone, o-cresol, and m & p-cresol, among others. Purity is generally calculated by subtracting the predicted contaminants from a total of 100.00. 

Test procedure:

A known amount of an internal standard is added to a phenol sample for the ASTM D6142 test. A gas chromatograph with a flame ionization detector is used to mix the prepared sample and analyze it (FID). Each impurity’s peak area, as well as the internal standard, is measured. The amount of each impurity is determined by the ratio of the internal standard’s peak area to the impurity’s peak area. The results are expressed in milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg).

Specimen size:

A sample of phenol is used as a test specimen in this ASTM D6142 test procedure.

Data:

As per the ASTM D6142 test, the concentration of each impurity is calculated as follows :

where: 

Ri = response factor for impurity “i” relative to the internal standard

Ai = peak area of impurity  

As= peak area of the internal standard 

Cs = concentration of the internal standard 

Ci = concentration of impurity 

Conclusion:

The ASTM D6142 is a standard test technique for capillary gas chromatography analysis of phenol.