Polymers and Plastics are discussed on their own page here.  Other organic chemicals will be discussed on this page.

Thermogravimetry or TGA:

• Weight of each component of liquid organic chemical mixtures provided different decomposition or evaporation temperature ranges
• Confirmation of a particular organic chemical compound based on its decomposition or oxidation temperature
• Weight of volatile or adsorbed organic solvents in various solid materials

Differential Scanning Calorimetry or DSC:

• Specific heat measurement
• Thermally induced reaction generating heat output
• Detection of polymorphism
• Measure the heat and temperature of crystallization upon cooling and subsequent melting temperature and latent heat upon heating
• Measure the heat of vaporization
• Detection of impurities or secondary components by distinct melting temperatures, crystallization temperatures, or by thermally stimulated reaction with the primary ingredient
• Oxidation temperature and energies
• Detect isomorphic organic components by reactions at or above the melting temperature
• Producing a phase diagram for a physical system

Thermomechanical Analysis or TMA or Dilatometry:

• Thermal expansion properties, coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of polymers and elastomers
• Determination of phase change temperatures in polymers such as due to glass transition temperature and crystallization
• Measure the softening temperature of a polymer

FTIR or Infrared Spectroscopy:

• Identification of bonding groups
• Identify organic chemical
• Detect changes in a chemical due to degradation
• Identify organic contaminants or additives

Contaminated Ethyl Acetate samples from the top and bottom of a large storage vessel. FTIR identified the organic contaminant.

GC-MS or Gas Chromatography – Mass Spectroscopy:

• Separates and allows the identification of many organic chemicals which may be components of a complex substance
• Measures and identifies organic contaminants in a substance
• Identifies volatile organic chemicals using Headspace Solid-Phase Micro-Extraction

Wavelength Dispersive XRF:

• Quantitatively determine the composition for carbon, nitrogen, and elements sodium and heavier
• Detect very low concentration heavy elements down to about ten ppm
• Determine if bromine is present and if so, provides alert that further analysis for restricted brominated organic compounds is required
• Detect and measure contaminants in an organic substance provided they have distinctive elements in them, such as wear particles in oil or a chlorocarbon in a hydrocarbon

Optical Microscopy:

• Examine liquid drop or layer for particulates
• Examine precipitates from drying or cooling liquid
• Examine residues of evaporated liquid

SEM/EDX:

• Examine filtered precipitates from drying or cooling liquid and determine the elemental composition
• Examine residues of evaporated liquid and determine the elemental composition

X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy or XPS or ESCA:

• Examine filtered precipitates from organic liquids, determining the elemental composition and chemistry of the particle surfaces
• Examine residues of evaporated liquids and determine the elemental composition and chemical phases in the residues

Contact Angle Measurements:

• Measures the wettability of a surface with a given liquid. Either or both the surface and the liquid may be an organic substance. The surface might be a polymer.
• Measure the surface energy or surface tension. The polar and the dispersive surface tension can be measured by using several different liquids on the surface.
• Dynamic surface tension effects can be measured as the liquid changes the properties of the surface

Density Measurements:

• Measure the density of the organic substance
• The density may indicate a contaminant or an additive