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ABSTRACT
The study presents the possibility of performing the analysis of oligomeric structures and polymer additives by gel permeation chromatography (GPC) with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) mass spectrometry (MS) in dibuthoxymethane (DBM, butylal), a halogen-free and less hazardous solvent than typically used chloroform and tetrahydrofuran. Polystyrene oligomers and Irganox® additives were analyzed in DBM using 2.1 mm internal diameter GPC columns, allowing to decrease the flow rate down to 50 µL/min, compatible with APCI–MS interface. The ionization was controlled by adding 1% chloroform in DBM to obtain (M+Cl)− adducts, allowing a fast optimization of method parameters.