Physical Chemistry

Product chemistry is at the heart of your chemical and product success. Your chemical’s testing requirements and regulatory pathway is determined by its physicochemical characteristics. We've been helping customers characterize and assess the stability of their chemical compounds for decades. Whether you need help conducting common tests on standard substances or novel studies designed for difficult-to-analyze entities, our scientific expertise and solution-oriented approach can help deliver results. With extensive capacity, excellent facilities and a cross-functional staff across two sites in the UK, we can flex according to your needs.

You need to tailor your product chemistry analysis to address your specific information needs

Characterizing the physicochemical properties of your chemical is the starting point for your product’s development and marketing journey. Depending on your requirements, the results can determine subsequent testing or inform your product’s regulatory path. You may need chemical safety information or specific endpoints for different regulators worldwide, each may determine a different product chemistry focus.

You also need to keep up-to-date with regulatory requirements which change all the time. In Europe, substances registered under REACH need regular dossier updates and may need additional endpoints included; for example, the recent EU nanoform regulation that demands additional particle characterization information.

Not all chemicals are suitable for common product chemistry approaches

For most chemicals you can get physicochemical information from common tests; however, some difficult chemicals require unique approaches. For example, chemicals with poor solubility, complex mixtures or polymers all require tailored approaches specific to the chemical. 

High capacity service with extensive experience of standard and difficult chemical substances

By partnering with us, our extensive facilities and analytical equipment can be deployed to meet the needs of your chemical. As well as extensive expertise working with standard substances, We have a track record of characterizing difficult chemical studies, such as those with low water solubility, high volatility, complex mixtures and inorganic samples etc. Our capability is constantly evolving in response to regulatory and scientific developments, with new nanoform characterization capabilities to address EU requirements.

Characterization studies can be used for batch analysis, spectral analysis and certification, testing for general physiochemical properties, hazard testing and storage stability. Our insight into the global regulatory requirements of ECHA, EPA, OECD, JMAFF as well as those of emerging markets such as Brazil and China ensures you get the best advice.

High quality standard physiochemical studies

A suite of the standard physicochemical tests are available:

• Melting point/range
• Boiling point/range
• Relative density
• Surface tension
• Water solubility
• Vapor pressure
• Partition coefficient
• Adsorption coefficient
• Abiotic degradation, hydrolysis as a function of pH
• Particle size distribution

Characterizing the hazardous properties of your chemical

The characterization of hazardous chemicals or chemicals with hazardous properties requires specific facilities and capabilities. Our team can support a range of studies:

• Flammability (solids)
• Flammability (in contact with water)
• Flammability (spontaneous combustion)
• Flash point
• Explosive properties
• Auto ignition temperature (liquids and gases)
• Relative self-ignition temperature (solids)
• Oxidizing properties (solids and liquids)
• Tests designed to fulfil EU methods and UN/CLP testing

Extensive analytical capability

We have extensive facilities, fully equipped with a wide range of analytic equipment. Tests that we do not have in house are subcontracted to established suppliers:

• HPLC (UV, FLD, RI, MS, ELS, DAD)
• GC (FID, NPD, ECD, FPD, MS)
• IR
• UV/Vis
• Molecular weight distribution
• Auto-titration
• Ion chromatography
• ICP-MS
• NMR