Use of Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy To Follow the Adsorption of Heptane and 1,4-Dioxane Vapors on a Zinc Oxide Surface

• Published in: Journal of pharmaceutical sciences Vol. 87; no. 9; pp. 1124 - 1129
• Main Authors: Oh, Euichaul, Wurster, Dale Eric, Majuru, Shingai, Wang, Jonas C.T.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Elsevier Inc 01.09.1998; John Wiley & Sons, Inc; Wiley; American Pharmaceutical Association
• Subjects: Analysis; Biological and medical sciences; Dioxanes - chemistry; Gases - chemistry; General pharmacology; Heptanes - chemistry; Medical sciences; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; Zinc Oxide - chemistry; Infrared spectrometry; Organic solvent; Dioxane; Fourier transformation; Adsorption; Apolar solvent; Molecular interaction; Zinc Oxides; Heptane; Quantitative analysis
• ISSN: 0022-3549; 1520-6017
• DOI: 10.1021/js970473c

□ Vapor adsorption isotherms of two nonpolar model compounds, heptane and 1,4-dioxane, were determined for a very small particle size zinc oxide (ZnO) powder (median particle size ~23nm) in the lower relative vapor pressure (P/P0) region. The ZnO samples for all adsorption measurements were dried at 400°C for 4h. A new method, which employed an FTIR spectrometer with a long path gas cell (IR path length of 3.0m), was developed for the organic vapor adsorption measurements. The amount adsorbed was determined by mass balance. This method allows accurate quantification of organic vapors and is sensitive to very low P/P0 values. The heptane and 1,4-dioxane vapor adsorption isotherms appeared to exhibit the expected Type II behavior. The surface areas obtained for ZnO from BET analyses of the heptane and 1,4-dioxane vapor adsorption isotherms (36.9 and 30.3m2/g) compared reasonably well to the surface area obtained from BET analysis of the nitrogen vapor adsorption isotherm (32.6m2/g). The amount of vapor adsorbed by ZnO at P/P0 equal to 0.1, in terms of number of moles, was observed to decrease in the order: water10 » 1,4-dioxane>heptane. It was inferred that, while heptane was only adsorbed via a dipole–induced dipole interaction, 1,4-dioxane was physically adsorbed via an interaction dominated by the oxygen lone-pair orbital. Presumably, this interaction was more comparable to a weak dipole–dipole interaction. These results are consistent with the expected strengths of interaction.