PNNL

Abstract

This research describes a comprehensive analytical approach to provide structure verification and purity determination for Morton Red 26. Studies presented in this paper, based on application of numerous traditional and advanced analytical techniques, provide definitive proof that Morton Red 26 and Solvent Red 26 are not chemically equivalent and, further, that Morton Red 26 and NIST #2037 have identical chemical structures, a result that stands in contrast to common perception. Additional analytical studies, again based on the application of numerous analytical methodologies, determined that Morton Red 26 was approximately 72 percent pure, a finding that stands in contrast to the 99 percent purity value certified by the supplier (Morton International). Possible explanations and implications are briefly discussed. Several of the Morton Red 26 impurities were tentatively identified, and a host of additional impurities were partially characterized by NMR, TLC, GC/MS, and HPLC/MS studies.