Printing inks used on packing materials of consumer products contain colorants and pigments, binder systems, solvents, and additives. ASTM F 1884-04 (1), Standard Test Methods for Determining Residual Solvents in Packaging Materials determines residual solvents in packaging materials from printing processes utilizing solvent-based printing inks. 

Test method A recommends an autosampler to perform the headspace-gas chromatography examination of residual solvents in packaging materials. The Teledyne Tekmar HT3 automated headspace sampler will be used to meet the rigorous demands of ASTM F 1884-04. This method prepares a standard curve in the package sample matrix. 

A 20 μL/L 4-heptanone solution was used as an internal standard. A five-point calibration curve was prepared by diluting a commercially available residual solvent standard mix with the internal standard solution. A calibration curve was prepared by adding 2 mL of the standard or internal standard solutions into 22 mL headspace vials. 

The samples were automatically injected onto a GC/FID system by the Tekmar HT3 automated headspace sampler. 

The relative standard deviation for the average of the response factors (%RSD) and correlation coefficients (

) were calculated by the internal standard method for the five-point calibration curve. An example of this calibration data (labeled Peak #9) is presented in Figure 1. Figure 2 shows a comparison of a calibration standard to a film blank standard.  

Figure 1: Calibration data for a residual solvent compound analyzed by ASTM F1884-04.			

The Teledyne Tekmar HT3 automated headspace sampler provides excellent linearity for residual solvent standards used in the analysis of residual solvents in packaging material as defined by ASTM method F1884-04, Standard Test Methods for Determining Residual Solvents in Packaging Materials.  

Figure 2: Overlay chromatograms of a blank (bottom) and a high-level standard (top).			

Additional data for the HT3 and the new Versa automated headspace sampler using ASTM Method F1884-04 will be presented at the 2012 Eastern Analytical Symposium and Exhibition. 

(1) ASTM Method F1884-04, Standard Test Methods for Determining Residual Solvents in Packaging Materials, ASTM International, West Conshohocken, PA, United States. 

4736 Socialville Foster Rd., Mason, OH 45040  

Application Notes: Pharmaceuticals

The Application Notebook-09-01-2012

Printing inks used on packing materials of consumer products contain colorants and pigments, binder systems, solvents, and additives. ASTM F 1884-04 (1), Standard Test Methods for Determining Residual Solvents in Packaging Materials determines residual solvents in packaging materials from printing processes utilizing solvent-based printing inks.