Analytical Method for Residual Monomer Ethyl Acrylate Determination in Commercial Latex Resin using Gas Chromatography with Flame Ionization Detection

Latex (acrylic resin) produced by emulsion polymerization usually contains variable amounts of residual volatiles (free monomers). Depending on the chemical nature of the monomer, even if these compounds are present in smaller quantities than other volatiles, they can make the latex exude a strong odor and offer toxicity, as with ethyl acrylate, which may make it unfeasible for the consumer to apply the latex. In the present study, a quantitative chromatographic method using gas chromatography with a flame ionization detector (GC-FID) for industrial laboratory determination was investigated. Free ethyl acrylate monomer at a concentration level of 0.010% w/w in a resin-type latex was determined. This method showed selectivity for ethyl acrylate versus other volatiles in the sample, linearity with a coefficient of determination greater than 0.99, limits of detection and quantification of 0.001 and 0.003% w/w, respectively, accuracy and precision with recoveries above 85% and coefficients of variation below 10%. The robustness parameter demonstrated with a Pareto chart shows that the chromatographic parameters of the split ratio, injection volume and temperature impact the method performance.