A differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) was used for the quantitative analysis of chemical blowing agents such as azodicarbonamide (azo) in commercial formulations. The DSC results are comparable to those obtained by the commonly used evolved gas analysis (EGA) technique. Advantages of DSC over the current technique are: ease of operation, shorter analysis time, enviromentally sate, and the quantitative analysis is independent of additives such as UV and antioxidant stabilizeers which are normally present in crrier resins. DSC technique is also effective in measuring azo concentrations up to 2% by weight, which is a limitation of the EGA technique. DSC can also be used to obtain the onset of the decomposition temperature and rate of decomposition of azo compounds containing group II and group IV metal salt activators, such as zinc oxide and zinc stearate. DSC also has the potential to detect the level of undecomposed blowing agent present in processed foam products.
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