A lot of people ask what we do here at Eurofins EAG Laboratories in St. Louis. The best way to summarize our services at this location is to to say that we do investigative analytical chemistry. In other words, if any product or manufacturing problem can be solved by performing analytical chemistry, we can probably do that testing in our lab!
Join Ephraim in the lab as he ‘cracks’ this problem with science!
As Ephraim illustrates in the video, when a client sent us samples of the failing product we discovered that some of the samples had started to become yellow and form cracks.
First, we compared the samples using a technique called FTIR spectroscopy to look at the chemical composition and potential contamination of the yellow samples and the reference sample.
We found that both the control sample and the failed sample contained the same polycarbonate. We also found an unexplained white powder on the failed sample.
To figure out what the powder was we used GCMS and discovered the substance was an organic compound called aliphatic amine.
We then took some of the powder and applied it to a non-damaged sample. This replicated the yellowing and cracking effect, a result of a chemical reaction of the amine with a polycarbonate in the light fixture.
The data enabled the client to trace the source of the amine to a supplier’s metal lubricant and resolve the issue.
The team at EAG Laboratories helps manufacturers find answers by using analytical chemistry to understand product issues including contaminants, changes in materials of construction, strange odors, unidentified particles, and yellowing and cracking parts.
It’s easy to get lost clicking through all the techniques and information on our website. The best thing to do is speak directly with one of our technical specialists (scientists). Fill out the form below or call the number at the top right corner of our website to get in touch with our technical specialists who can figure out the best way to go about designing experiments to solve your problem.
We’ll be presenting more helpful information and interesting scientific case studies in the future and we hope you’ll join us! Thank you for watching!
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