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The usefulness of seven different Tin catalysts, Bismuth subsalicylate and Titan tetra(ethoxide) for the polycondensation of ethyl L-lactate (ELA) was examined at 150 °C/6 d. Dibutyltin bis(phenoxides) proved to be particularly effective. Despite the low reactivity of ELA, weight average molecular masses (Mw) up to 12 500 were found along with partial crystallization. Furthermore, polylactides (PLAs) of similar molecular masses were prepared via ELA-initiated ROPs of L-lactide by means of the four most effective polycondensation catalysts. The crystalline linear PLAs were annealed at 140 or 160 °C in the presence of these catalysts. The consequences of the transesterification reactions in the solid PLAs were studied by means of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI TOF) mass spectrometry, gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). The results indicate that polycondensation and formation of cycles proceed in the solid state via formation of loops on the surface of the crystallites. In summary, five different transesterification reactions are required to explain all results.
The presentation includes aspects of material design and characterization with a focus on lignin. Examples are the structural elucidation of lignosulfonates by means of two-dimensional chromatography, the mechanochemical degradation and functionalization of Kraft-Lignin with accompanying analytics. Future projects involving the incorporation of lignin into polymers will be presented.
Investigation on the Durability of a Polypropylene Geotextile under Artificial Aging Scenarios
(2024)
Geosynthetics are widely used in various civil engineering applications, such as geotextiles in coastal protection, and display a sustainable alternative to natural mineral materials. However, the full benefits of using geosynthetics can only be gained with a long service lifetime of the products. With the use of added stabilizers to the polymers, service lifetimes can be achieved in the range of 100 years. Therefore, accelerated aging methods are needed for the assessment of the long-term performance of geotextiles. In the present study, the behavior of geosynthetic materials made of polypropylene was investigated under artificial aging conditions involving elevated temperatures ranging from 30 to 80 °C, increased oxygen pressures ranging from 10 to 50 bar in water-filled autoclaves, and UV irradiation under atmospheric conditions. ATR-IR spectroscopy was employed to detect the increase in the carbonyl index over various aging durations, indicating the oxidative degradation of the geotextile. The most pronounced increase was observed in the case of aging through UV irradiation, followed by thermal aging. Elevated pressure, on the other hand, had a lower impact on oxidation. High-temperature size exclusion chromatography was utilized to follow the reduction in molar mass under different degradation conditions, and the results were consistent with those obtained from ATR-IR spectroscopy. In polyolefins such as polypropylene, Hindered Amine Stabilizers (HAS) are used to suppress oxidation caused by UV radiation. The quantitative analysis of HAS was carried out using a UV/Vis method and HPLC. The degradation of UV stabilizers during the aging of geotextiles is responsible for the oxidation and the reduction in the molar mass of polypropylene. From the results, it can be concluded that applications of PP geotextile without soil or sand cover might cause the risk of the formation of microplastic particles. Material selection, design, and maintenance of the construction must follow best practices, including the system’s removal or replacement at end-of-life. Otherwise, a sustainable use of geotextiles in civil engineering is not possible.
The 2-methoxyphenol units (G-units) in lignin are modified by demethylation and oxidation to provide the activated lignin as one part of an advanced biobased two-component (2K) adhesive system, which exhibits promising shear strengths in dry and underwater applications. The activation of lignin is straightforward and generates quinones via demethylation and periodate oxidation. These act as Michael acceptors and react smoothly with multi-thiol-star polymers to yield thiol-catechol connectivities (TCCs). The mussel-inspired material platform acts as a very robust and versatile adhesive, combining low-cost and readily available lignin with multi-thiols to achieve outstanding adhesion strengths of up to 15 MPa in dry application. In particular, the 2K system is compatible with the marine biological environment and shows no acute toxicity to sensitive organisms such as fish eggs. Thus, one possible application of this material could be an adhesive for setting temperature-resistant corals in damaged reefs.
The variability and heterogeneity in their structural composition is significant for nearly all synthetic and natural polymers. Beside molar mass also functionality type distribution, copolymer composition distribution and architectural features are responsible for changing the material properties.
A wide range of analytical techniques are available to get insight into these parameters. However, in most cases it is essential to combine different sophisticated techniques to get closer to actual structures and to avoid statistical averages.
Different liquid chromatographic separation modes and their coupling in a two-dimensional way (SEC, LCCC, HILIC, 2D-LC) in combination with suitable detection techniques (e.g. UV, RI, LS, IR, MALDI/ESI-MS) as well as techniques like BET, DCS, SEM/TEM were applied to make structural features visible.
A few aspects are discussed for structural different polylactides from various synthesis routes and their behavior in LC-MS.
The variability and heterogeneity in their structural composition is significant for nearly all synthetic and natural polymers. Beside molar mass also functionality type distribution, copolymer composition distribution and architectural features are responsible for changing the material properties.
A wide range of analytical techniques are available to get insight into these parameters. However, in most cases it is essential to combine different sophisticated techniques to get closer to actual structures and to avoid statistical averages.
Different liquid chromatographic separation modes and their coupling in a two-dimensional way (SEC, LCCC, HILIC, 2D-LC) in combination with suitable detection techniques (e.g. UV, RI, LS, IR, MALDI/ESI-MS) as well as techniques like BET, DCS, SEM/TEM were applied to make structural features visible.
A few aspects are discussed for structural different polylactides from various synthesis routes and their behavior in LC-MS. Moreover, some analytical results for technical lignins valorized by mechanochemical treatment or modified by functional polymers are presented.
In a laboratory test, transparent high‐density polyethylene (HDPE) jerrycans have been exposed to both UV radiation and 55 wt‐% nitric acid solution at (41 ± 2)°C, for up to 20 days. For comparison, UV radiant exposure (21 days) and nitric acid exposure (up to 6 weeks) were performed separately, at nearly equal temperatures. The damages are compared with FTIR spectroscopy in ATR and HT‐gel permeation chromatography(GPC) on a molecular level and with hydraulic internal pressure testing as a component test. For the used jerrycans, relevant oxidation can only be found after the combined exposure. This is caused by the decomposition of nitric acid into nitrous gases by UV radiation, which is also observed at lower concentrations (28 wt‐%). After 6 days of laboratory exposure, this is rated as critical, which corresponds to about 1/10 year in Central Europe, according to the UV radiant exposure. The gradual increase in oxidative damage shows the reproducibility of the test.
The polycondensations of adipic acid and 1,10-decanediol catalyzed by toluene sulfonic acid (TSA) were reinvestigated using MALDI TOF mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy. Unexpected reactions of TSA were detected along with incomplete conversion of the monomers. Furthermore, transesterification reactions of end-capped poly(1,10-decanediol adipate) and end-capped poly(ε-caprolactone) catalyzed by TSA were studied. Despite the quite different (ionic) reaction mechanisms, it was found that for polycondensations performed in bulk intermolecular transesterification is more efficient than the intramolecular “back-biting”; this scenario was not considered in the Jacobson–Stockmayer theory of reversible polycondensations.
These results also confirm that the Jacobson–Stockmayer explanation of reversible polycondensations solely on the basis of ring chain equilibration is not only devoid of any experimental evidence, but also in contradiction to the results elaborated in this work.
Lignosulfonates are industrial biorefinery products that are characterized by significant variability and heterogeneity in their structural composition. Typically, they exhibit high dispersities in molar mass (molar mass distribution-MMD) and in functionalities (functionality-type distribution - FTD), which crucially affect their material usage. In terms of FTD, state-of-the-art Lignin analytics still rely mainly on the determination of functional group contents, which are statistical averages with limited explanatory power. In contrast, our online hydrophobic interaction chromatography−size-exclusion chromatography 2D-LC approach combines the determination of both MMD and FTD in a single measurement to provide a comprehensive picture of the characteristic composition of industrial lignosulfonates information hitherto inaccessible by state-of-the-art lignin analytics. In this way, the complex inter - relationships between these two important structural parameters can be studied in an unprecedented manner. In this study, we reveal the considerable differences in terms of hydrophobic composition and its dispersity present in a range of different industrial lignosulfonates - data desperately needed in tailoring and refining of lignosulfonate composition for material usage.
The characterization of technical lignins is a key step for the efficient use and processing of this material into valuable chemicals and for quality control. In this study 31 lignin samples were prepared from different biomass sources (hardwood, softwood, straw, grass) and different pulping processes (sulfite, Kraft, organosolv). Each lignin was analysed by attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FT-IR) spectroscopy. Statistical analysis of the ATR-FT-IR spectra by means of principal component analysis (PCA) showed significant differences between the lignins. Hence, the samples can be separated by PCA according to the original biomass. The differences observed in the ATR-FT-IR spectra result primarily from the relative ratios of the p-hydroxyphenyl, guaiacyl and syringyl units. Only limited influence of the pulping process is reflected by the spectral data. The spectra do not differ between samples processed by Kraft or organosolv processes. Lignosulfonates are clearly distinguishable by ATR-FT-IR from the other samples. For the classification a model was created using the k-nearest neighbor (k NN) algorithm. Different data pretreatment steps were compared for k=1…20. For validation purposes, a 5-fold cross-validation was chosen and the different quality criteria Accuracy (Acc), Error Rate (Err), Sensitivity (TPR) and specificity (TNR) were introduced. The optimized model for k=4 gives values for Acc = 98.9 %, Err = 1.1 %, TPR = 99.2 % and TNR = 99.6 %.
SnOct2 (Sn(II) 2-ethylhexanoate) catalyzed ROPs of L-lactide were performed in bulk with eight different alcohols as initiators. The time was varied between 1 h and 24 h for all initiators. For two initiators the temperature was also lowered to 115 ◦C. Even-numbered chains were predominantly formed in all polymerizations at short times, but the rate of transesterification (e.g. even/odd equilibration) and the molecular weight distribution were found to depend significantly on the nature of the initiator. Observed transesterification reactions also continued in solid poly (L-lactide), and with the most active initiator, almost total equilibration was achieved even at 130 ◦C. This means that all chains including those of the crystallites were involved in transesterification reactions proceeding across the flat surfaces of the crystallites. The more or less equilibrated crystalline polylactides were characterized by DSC and SAXS measurements with regard to their melting temperature (Tm), crystallinity and crystal thickness.
The structure and composition of polycarbonate polydimethylsiloxane copolymer (PC-co-PDMS) was investigated by applying various analytical approaches including chromatographic separation methods, spectrometric, and spectroscopic detection techniques. In particular, size exclusion chromatography (SEC) and liquid adsorption chromatography operating at different conditions (e.g. using gradient solvent systems) were used to achieve separations according to molar mass and functionality distribution. The coupling of both techniques resulted in fingerprint two-dimensional plots, which could be used to easily compare different copolymer batches. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry was applied for structural investigations. The different ionization behavior of both comonomers, however, strongly limited the applicability of this technique. In contrast to that, Fourier-transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy could be used to quantify the amount of PDMS in the copolymer at different points in the chromatogram. The resulting methodology was capable of distinguishing PC-co-PDMS copolymer from PC homopolymer chains present in the material.
It is a well-known story that copolymers beside their molar mass distribution (MMD) can exhibit a functionality type distribution (FTD), a copolymer composition distribution (CCD), a monomer sequence distribution (MSD) and additionally different topologies within one sample. Small, often isobaric heterogeneities in topology or microstructure can usually not be simply separated chromatographically or distinguished by any common detector. Nowadays a wide range of different analytical separation techniques and multi-detection possibilities are available. The challenge consists in a clever combination of these techniques with a specific approach of data analysis. In this presentation different liquid chromatographic separation modes were combined with Electrospray Time-of-Flight mass spectrometry.
The online coupling allows the analysis of reconstructed ion chromatograms (RIC) of each degree of polymerization. While a complete separation often cannot be achieved, the derived retention times and peak widths lead to information on the existence and dispersity of heterogeneities in microstructure or topology, that are otherwise inaccessible This method is suitable to detect small differences in e. g. branching, topology, monomer sequence or tacticity and could potentially be used in production control of oligomeric products or other routinely done analyses to quickly indicate deviations from set parameters. Based on a variety of examples e.g. the topology elucidation of branched EO-PO copolymers, the possibilities and limitations of this approach were demonstrated.
Simultaneous characterization of poly(acrylic acid) andpolysaccharide polymers and copolymers
(2020)
Copolymer products that result from grafting acrylic acid and other hydrophilicmonomers onto polysaccharides have recently gained significant interest in researchand industry. Originating from renewable sources, these biodegradable, low toxicity,and polar copolymer products exhibit potential to replace polymers from fossil sourcesin several applications and industries. The methods usually employed to character-ize these copolymers are, however, quite limited, especially for the measurement ofbulk properties. With more sophisticated applications, for example, in pharmaceu-tics requiring a more detailed analysis of the chemical structure, we describe a newapproach for this kind of complex polymers. Our approach utilizes chromatographyin combination with several detection methods to separate and characterize reactionproducts of the copolymerization of acrylic acid and chemically hydrolyzed starch.These samples consisted of a mixture of homopolymer poly (acrylic acid), homopoly-mer hydrolyzed starch, and – in a lower amount – the formed copolymers. Several chro-matographic methods exist that are capable of characterizing either poly (acrylic acid)or hydrolyzed starch. In contrast, our approach offers simultaneous characterization ofboth polymers. The combination of LC and UV/RI offered insight into the compositionand copolymer content of the samples. Size exclusion chromatography experimentsrevealed the molar mass distribution of homopolymers and copolymers. FTIR inves-tigations confirmed the formation of copolymers while ESI-MS gave more details onthe end groups of hydrolyzed starches and poly (acrylic acids). Evidence of copolymerstructures was obtained through NMR measurements. Finally, two-dimensional chro-matography led to the separation of the copolymers from both homopolymers as wellas the additional separation of sodium clusters. The methods described in this work area powerful toolset to characterize copolymerization products of hydrolyzed starch andpoly(acrylic acid). Together, our approach successfully correlates the physicochemicalproperties of such complex mixtures with their actual composition.
View into the depths of copolymer microstructure by a special approach of LC-MS data evaluation
(2019)
It is a well-known story that copolymers beside their molar mass distribution (MMD) can exhibit a functionality type distribution (FTD), a copolymer composition distribution (CCD), a monomer sequence distribution (MSD) and additionally different topologies within one sample. This is and will remain a challenge for analysts.
First a very short overview will be given concerning the common liquid separation techniques for polymers (SEC, LAC, LCCC, GELC) coupled to soft ionization mass spectrometric methods like MALDI and ESI-MS with focus on their limitations. For very broadly distributed samples or chemical very similar species the superposition of different separation mechanisms in chromatography is unavoidable or the separation efficiency cannot be optimized.
Different ionization probabilities and species of the same nominal mass with completely different structures are just two problems of mass spec of complex polymer mixtures.
Subsequently, different examples will be shown how these limitations in some cases could be outsmarted.
First example will be the separation of statistical EO-PO copolymers of different chemical compositions by end group functionality and the quantification of end group fractions over the whole CCD. Here an UP-LCCC / ESI-TOF-MS coupling is applied.
Further for different kinds of polymers it will be shown how it could be realized to obtain information on small isobaric/isomeric topological heterogeneities by coupling UP-SEC / ESI-TOF-MS.
All results are based on the data processing of reconstructed ion chromatograms of single mass traces of complex ESI-MS spectra.
Polyether and -ester urethanes (PU) were exposed to artificial weathering at 40 °C and artificial UV radiation in a weathering chamber. In 3 parallel exposures, humidity was varied between dry, humid, and wet conditions. Material alteration was investigated by various analytical techniques like size exclusion chromatography
(SEC), liquid chromatography-infrared spectroscopy (LC-FTIR), thermal-desorption gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (TD-GC-MS), fluorescence mapping and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). Our results show that depending on the weathering conditions, different degradation effects can be observed. By means of SEC an initial strong decrease of the molar masses and a broadening of the mass distributions was found. After a material dependent time span this was followed by a plateau where molar mass changes were less significant. A minor moisture-dependent degradation effect was only found for polyester PU. Fluorescence measurements on two materials revealed an increase in the luminescence intensity upon weathering process reaching a saturation level after about 500 h. The changes in the optical properties observed after different exposure conditions and times were very similar. The TD-GC-MS data showed the fate of the stabilizers and antioxidant in the course of weathering. LC-FTIR measurements revealed a change in peak intensities and the ratio of urethane and carbonyl bands.
From simple homopolymers to functionalized, 3-dimensional structured copolymers, the complexity of polymeric materials has become more and more sophisticated. With new applications for instance in the semiconductor or pharmaceutical industry, the requirements for the characterization have risen with the complexity of the used polymers. For each additional distribution, an additional dimension in analysis is needed. Small, often isomeric heterogeneities in topology or microstructure can usually not be simply separated chromatographically or distinguished by any common detector, but affect the properties of materials significantly. For a drug delivery system for example, the degree of branching and branching distribution is crucial for the formation of micelles. Instead of a complicated, time consuming and/or expensive 2d-chromatography or ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) method, that also has its limitations, in this work a simple approach using size exclusion chromatography (SEC) coupled with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI) is proposed. The online coupling allows the analysis of reconstructed ion chromatograms (RIC) of each degree of polymerization. While a complete separation often cannot be achieved, the derived retention times and peak widths lead to information on the existence and dispersity of heterogeneities. Although some microstructural heterogeneities like short chain branching can for large polymers be characterized with methods such as light scattering, for oligomers where the heterogeneities just start to form and their influence is at the maximum, they are inaccessible with these methods. It is also shown, that with a proper calibration even quantitative information can be obtained. This method is suitable to detect small differences in e. g. branching, 3d-structure, monomer sequence or tacticity and could potentially be used in routine analysis to quickly determine deviations.
Copolymer structure elucidation by multidimensional techniques with focus on UPLC x ESI-TOF-MS
(2017)
Structure elucidation of complex synthetic copolymers still represents a challenge. An one-dimensional separation technique cannot give the answer to the question: What are the molar mass distribution (MMD), the functionality distribution (FTD), the chemical composition distribution (CCD), the monomer sequence distribution (MSD), the topology differences within a single broad distributed polymer sample?
Since the first LC/ ESI-MS experiment of the Nobel prize winner John B. Fenn in 1984, the coupling of liquid chromatographic to mass spectrometric techniques gained a continuous rapid development.
Often the deficiencies of stand-alone methods can be bridged. LC, blind to structural information needs mass spectrometry as one of the most powerful detectors able to give detailed information on e.g. the repeat units, functionalization or copolymer composition of the chromatographic separated constituents. A separation prior to MS reduces radical the dispersity which is one of the reasons for failing of MS. Also problems with different ionization probabilities in complex mixtures can partly be overcame.
Different LC separation techniques as size exclusion chromatography (SEC), liquid adsorption chromatography (LAC), liquid chromatography at critical conditions (LCCC) and gradient elution liquid chromatography (GELC) combined with Matrix assisted Laser Desorption Ionization (MALDI) respectively Electrospray Ionization (ESI) Time of Flight (TOF) mass spectrometry are able to give information which otherwise are completely inaccessible. In some cases CID tandem mass spectrometry is applied. Fragmentation of suitable precursor ions resulted in typical fragment ion patterns. This technique enables an additional information on e.g. sequences, structural defects and topology of complex polymer mixtures.
Herein a new approach is demonstrated to provide evidence of different functionalities and short block sequences in statistical EO-PO copolymers. Furthermore silsesquioxane mixtures and Polyglycerols are investigated concerning occurring topology effects.
Structure elucidation of complex synthetic copolymers still represents a challenge. A one-dimensional separation technique cannot give the answer to the question: What are the molar mass distribution (MMD), the functionality distribution (FTD), the chemical composition distribution (CCD), the monomer sequence distribution (MSD), the topology differences within a single broad distributed polymer sample?
Is the coupling of liquid chromatographic separation techniques to mass spectrometry able to fill the gaps to a certain degree?
Different LC separation techniques as size exclusion chromatography (SEC), liquid adsorption chromatography (LAC), liquid chromatography at critical conditions (LCCC) and gradient elution liquid chromatography (GELC) combined with Matrix assisted Laser Desorption Ionization (MALDI) respectively Electrospray Ionization (ESI) Time of Flight (TOF) mass spectrometry are able to give information which otherwise are completely inaccessible. In some cases, CID tandem mass spectrometry is applied. Fragmentation of suitable precursor ions resulted in typical fragment ion patterns. This technique enables an additional information on e.g. sequences, structural defects and topology of complex polymer mixtures.
Often the deficiencies of stand-alone methods can be bridged. LC, blind to structural information needs mass spectrometry as one of the most powerful detectors able to give detailed information on e.g. the repeat units, functionalization or copolymer composition of the chromatographic separated constituents. A separation prior to MS reduces radical the dispersity which is one of the reasons for failing of MS. Also problems with different ionization probabilities in complex mixtures can partly be overcame.
The lecture will provide a series of examples where LC-MS has been applied to evaluate complex macromolecules and mixtures of these.
On- and offline coupling principles will be compared and the pros and cons of both mass spectrometric techniques will be discussed.
Statistical ethylene oxide (EO) and propylene oxide (PO) copolymers of different monomer compositions and different average molar masses additionally containing two kinds of end groups (FTD) were investigated by ultra high pressure liquid chromatography under critical conditions (UP-LCCC) combined with electrospray ionization time-of flight mass spectrometry (ESI-TOFMS).
Theoretical predictions of the existence of a critical adsorption point (CPA) for statistical copolymers with a given chemical and sequence distribution1 could be studied and confirmed. A fundamentally new approach to determine these critical conditions in a copolymer, alongside the inevitable chemical composition distribution (CCD), with mass spectrometric detection, is described. The shift of the critical eluent composition with the monomer composition of the polymers was determined. Due to the broad molar mass distribution (MMD) and the presumed existence of different end group functionalities as well as monomer sequence distribution (MSD), Gradient separation only by CCD was not possible. Therefore, isocratic separation conditions at the CPA of definite CCD fractions were developed. Although the various present distributions partly superimposed the separation process, the goal of separation by end group functionality was still achieved on the basis of the additional dimension of ESI-TOF-MS. The existence of HO-H besides the desired allylO-H end group functionalities was confirmed and their amount estimated. Furthermore, indications for a MSD were found by UPLC/MS/MS measurements. This approach offers for the first time the possibility to obtain a fingerprint of a broad distributed statistical copolymer including MMD, FTD, CCD, and MSD.
Nanocomposites based on poly(L-lactide) (PLA) and organically modified Ni/Al layered double hydroxides (NiAl/LDHs) are prepared by melt blending and investigated by a combination of size exclusion chromatography, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), wide-angle X-ray scattering, and broadband dielectric spectroscopy. A detailed comparison to the behavior of the corresponding MgAl/LDH–PLA nanocomposites is made. SAXS investigations show that the morphology of the NiAl/LDH–PLA nanocomposites is more intercalated compared to the MgAl/LDH based PLA nanocomposite, which is more exfoliated. The DSC investigation gives a different dependence of the degree of crystallization on the concentration of LDH for NiAl/LDH–PLA than for MgAl/LDH–PLA nanocomposite system. These differences are discussed taking the differences of the morphologies of both systems into account. Broadband dielectric spectroscopy reveals information about the molecular dynamics where essential differences are observed for all relaxation processes taking place in both systems which were related to the different morphologies.
Since the first LC/ ESI-MS experiment of the Nobel prize winner John B. Fenn in 1984, the coupling of liquid chromatographic to mass spectrometric techniques gained a continuous rapid development.
The lecture will give a general survey of different LC separation techniques as size exclusion chromatography (SEC), liquid adsorption chromatography (LAC), liquid chromatography at critical conditions (LCCC) and gradient elution liquid chromatography (GELC) combined with Matrix assisted Laser Desorption Ionization (MALDI) respectively Electrospray Ionization (ESI) Time of Flight (TOF) mass spectrometry.
Often the deficiencies of stand-alone methods can be bridged. LC, blind to structural information needs mass spectrometry as one of the most powerful detectors able to give detailed information on e.g. the repeat units, functionalization or copolymer composition of the chromatographic separated constituents. A separation prior to MS reduces the polydispersity which is one of the reasons for failing of MS. Also problems with different ionization probabilities in complex mixtures can partly be overcame.
On the basis of different examples on- and offline coupling principles will be compared and the pros and cons of both mass spectrometric techniques will be discussed.
Recently, MALDI imaging techniques in coupling with chromatography have become interesting e.g. for visualization of copolymer composition.
Simple, fast, and versatile methods for the quantification of thiol groups are of considerable interest not only for protein analysis but also for the characterization of the surface chemistry of nanomaterials stabilized with thiol ligands or bearing thiol groups for the subsequent (bio-) functionalization via maleimide−thiol chemistry. Here, we compare two simple colorimetric assays, the widely used Ellman’s assay performed at alkaline pH and the aldrithiol assay executed at acidic and neutral pH, with respect to their potential for the quantification of thiol groups and thiol ligands on different types of nanoparticles like polystyrene nanoparticles, semiconductor nanocrystals (SC NC), and noble metal particles, and we derive criteria for their use. In order to assess the underlying reaction mechanisms and to obtain stoichiometry factors mandatory for reliable thiol quantification, both methods were studied photometrically and with electrospray ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (ESI-TOF-MS), thereby demonstrating the influence of different thiols on the reaction mechanism. Our results underline the suitability of both methods for the quantification of directly accessible thiol groups or ligands on the surface of 2D- and 3D-supports, here exemplarily polystyrene nanoparticles. Moreover, we could derive strategies for the use of these simple assays for the determination of masked (i.e., not directly accessible) thiol groups like disulfides such as lipoic acid and thiol stabilizing ligands coordinatively bound to Cd and/or Hg surface atoms of II/VI and ternary SC NC and to gold and silver nanoparticles.