Total Organic Carbon (TOC) Testing
Total Organic Carbon (TOC) Testing Procedure
Since all TOC analyzers only truly measure total carbon, accounting for the inorganic carbon present at all times is always necessary for TOC analysis. Total inorganic carbon (TIC), which represents the amount of non-organic carbon, such as carbon in carbonate minerals, is measured in addition to total organic carbon (TOC) in a typical examination of total carbon (TC).
One method of analysis is a two-stage procedure known as TC-IC. It counts the total quantity of carbon (TC) in the sample and the amount of inorganic carbon (IC) produced from an acidified aliquot of the sample. To compute TOC, subtract the sample’s IC value from its TC value. Another method involves oxidizing the sample to produce carbon dioxide and measuring it as inorganic carbon (IC), then evaporating the carbon dioxide to make the remaining Non-Purgeable Organic Carbon (NPOC) and quantifying it. The term for this is TIC-NPOC analysis. In a more typical procedure, the sample is once more acidified to a pH of two or less to release the IC gas, but this time, it is released to the air rather than being used for measurement. The gasses are then released due to oxidizing the non-purgeable CO2 gas (NPOC), which is still in the liquid aliquot. After that, the detector receives these gasses for measurement.
Whether using TC-IC or NPOC methodologies, there are three key stages to TOC analysis:
- Acidification
- Oxidation
- Quantification and Detection
Common Uses of Total Organic Carbon (TOC) Testing
- Used to assess the water’s quality during the filtration of drinking water.
- Organic shale deposits are evaluated for quality, considering their TOC content.
- Various cleaning techniques ensure no cross-contamination between product runs of different medications. The effectiveness of these cleaning validation techniques is monitored by measuring TOC concentration levels.
- TOC must be monitored at the parts per billion level because semiconductor wafers must meet certain quality standards.
Common Uses of Total Organic Carbon (TOC) Testing
- Used to assess the water’s quality during the filtration of drinking water.
- Organic shale deposits are evaluated for quality, considering their TOC content.
- Various cleaning techniques ensure no cross-contamination between product runs of different medications. The effectiveness of these cleaning validation techniques is monitored by measuring TOC concentration levels.
- TOC must be monitored at the parts per billion level because semiconductor wafers must meet certain quality standards.
Industrial Applications of Total Organic Carbon (TOC) Testing
- Microelectronics
- Pharmaceuticals
- Water filtration plants
